


chasing dreams and each other

by stylesmakethefight



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Dong Sicheng - Freeform, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun is Whipped, Kim Jungwoo - Freeform, Lee Taeyong is Whipped, M/M, Nakamoto Yuta - Freeform, Oops, hyuck is pascal and mark is max, i took creative freedom, kim doyoung - Freeform, lee haechan - Freeform, mark lee NCT, moon taeil - Freeform, seo johnny - Freeform, that last scene also speaks of blood so tw blood, this is tangled the movie except they swear, writing songs in story form was hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:01:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 27,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25977142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stylesmakethefight/pseuds/stylesmakethefight
Summary: Taeyong has lived in a tower for all his life, hidden away to protect his magical hair.Jaehyun is a wanted criminal by the name of Jae who happens to find a convenient tower.Both of them have dreams.Both of those dreams change.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 10
Kudos: 59





	1. Prologue

It began with a flower.

Ordinary to the eye unaware of the stories and rumors laced with whispers of magic and promises, but worth a life to those who sought after it with a fervor. Many said it didn’t exist, that it was once a miracle and nothing more. Others desperate enough never stopped looking. 

The flower was said to have grown from a drop of sunlight, blessed by the goddess of sun herself. Legend tells of a song to sing in order to activate the flower’s magical powers, and once the song is sung, the powers reverse time. Age is backwards, keeping one’s youth and beauty for as long as the song is sung. 

However, as most things given by the sun herself are, the flower was discovered. 

Gothel, nearing the ripe age of sixty-seven, found the glowing flower first on the side of a cliff while returning to her tower deep into the woods. Curious about the legends, she sang the song, already memorized from years of passing down the story. Gothel found it very interesting that she was no longer nearing sixty-seven, but she looked closer to twenty-seven. 

Pride took over, mixing with narcissism. She quickly became determined to keep her youth, to become the most beautiful maiden in the land. Greed took over then as well. Gothel kept the flower to herself, hiding it on the cliff’s edge, and coming back every once in a while to restore her beauty. 

Centuries passed, the old town giving way to a new and sprawling kingdom with the castle placed on top of the hill. The king and queen were very good to their people and, slowly but surely, the kingdom grew prosperous. 

There was a joyous celebration in honor of the queen’s pregnancy some years later. The first heir to the new kingdom. The people were elated. For months up to the child’s birth, celebrations and parties filled the evenings of the kingdom. 

Until the queen became ill. 

Every doctor, physicist, and specialist had come from across the lands to be of any aid, but all came to the same result. The queen could die, the baby with her. 

This sent the kingdom into a panic. When this level of hopelessness begins to take hold, people start looking for a miracle. 

Now, Gothel, thanks to the help of the magical flower, had been alive for all this. She was aware that the people were looking for  _ her  _ flower. And because of that, she took extra care taking her trip to it and making sure the golden flower remained hidden. 

But like before, as most things given by the sun are, the flower was found. 

Gothel watched the guards uproot her precious, golden, flower and march it back to the castle. Greed, pride, narcissism brew within her cold heart, beating harder than ever for all the centuries she’d lived for. 

The queen made a stellar recovery, eventually giving birth to a healthy boy with wonderful, healthy, golden hair. His name was Taeyong. 

To celebrate the birth of the prince, the kingdom lit hundreds of lanterns and set them to the sky as soon as the sun set on the prince’s birthday. The spectacle would be spoken of for years to come. 

For a while, everyone was happy. 

Gothel wasn’t included. 

Still hounded by greed, Gothel decided that she would do anything to get her flower back. One night, when the castle was asleep, she made the harrowing climb up the castle walls and into Prince Taeyong’s room. 

The baby was sound asleep, a little thumb in his pouted mouth, and a small frown etched on his delicate face. 

Out of habit, Gothel began to sing. 

_ Flower, gleam and glow, _

_ Let your power shine, _

_ Make the clock reverse, _

_ Bring back what once was mine.  _

Entranced, she watched as the boy’s hair began to glow a bright yellow. At the same time, the wrinkles on her hand smoothed out. So, the power was in the hair. Gothel smiled to herself. Perhaps, she could still get a part of her flower back. 

Admiring the smooth skin of her hands, she gently reached down into the baby’s crib and tugged slowly on a tuft of hair tucked away behind the prince’s head. With a pair of scissors she had found on a table some distance away with balls of yarn, she quickly snipped a piece off. 

To her horror, the hair immediately turned brown, no longer the beautiful glowing blonde it was a minute ago. Gothel watched with the same horror as her hands became aged and wrinkled. 

Prince Taeyong stirred. 

Gothel did what she could. 

By the time the door slammed open, revealing a worried king and queen, she had the crying prince tucked in her robes and she made her escape, ducking into the woods. 

In her tower, isolated from the rest of the world, Gothel looked at the sleeping Prince Taeyong and made the decision to raise him in the tower, somewhere she could keep him and his precious hair safe. Overtime that would change to only keeping his precious hair safe, but Prince Taeyong wouldn’t know until later in his life. 

Miles away, the king and queen were deeply saddened. In honor of their lost son, and as a hope that he may return one day, the kingdom continued to release hundreds of lanterns every year on the prince’s birthday. 

And every year, Prince Taeyong would look out from his room on top of the highest tower on the night of his birthday and wish with all his little heart that he’d be able to see it in person one day. 


	2. Taeyong

_ Twenty years later  _

“Where the fuck did you go?” 

Taeyong was this close to overturning his whole room to find his chameleon, determined to keep his winning streak of hide-and-seek with the reptile. If you’d ask him, Taeyong would say that he’s winning forty-nine to twelve. If you asked Donghyuck, the little reptile would say that Taeyong is cheating because he peeks when he counts. 

But it’s just the two of them in their room, and Taeyong is the only one out of the two of them with opposable thumbs, so his way goes. 

“Hyuckie,” Taeyong sung, eyes tracking the whole room, looking for a moment of movement. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” 

He made a full three-sixty, finally catching sight of a shadow underneath his hanging potted plant dangling from a hook right outside his window. Taeyong smirked to himself and slowly strode to his window. 

“Would little Hyuckie be hiding outside, perhaps?” He crooned, looking out. The view was nice. There was a small pond below, and cliffs backed the valley enough to cast a cooling shade over the tower. In autumn, the leaves turned a pretty color and Taeyong would enjoy using colors other than green to paint the scenery. 

He swung his feet around the ledge and sat, dangling his legs off the edge. Casually, he stretched his arms, yawning too loudly to be natural, and hit the pot above him. 

Donghyuck fell out onto Taeyong’s lap with a squeal and Taeyong feigned shock. “Oh! There you are!” He scooped Hyuck up and held him close to his face. “That’s what, fifty me and twelve you?” Taeyong eyes widened. “Wait, I hit fifty!” 

Hyuck growled.  _ Cheater.  _

“Can’t prove that, now can you,” Taeyong winked. 

The chameleon huffed a frustrated breath and turned away, instead facing outside. 

“Come on,” Taeyong whined. “What do I have to do to make you accept defeat?” He was being cheeky and Hyuck knew it. It was all jokes and wishes with him and Taeyong liked it that way. 

Hyuck quickly got to his feet and pointed outside with his tail.  _ Let’s go explore.  _

Taeyong chuckled. “We’re not allowed and you know it. I like it here and so do you.” 

Hyuck gave him a look.  _ A cheater and a liar, huh?  _

Taeyong blew out a sigh this time. “Okay, you’re right. But, I’m going to ask Mother to take us to see the lanterns this weekend!” 

Hyuck’s eyes widened.  _ Seriously?  _

Taeyong laughed at his friend. “It’s worth a shot, right? A birthday present?”

Hyuck nodded furiously and Taeyong laughed. Looks like he wasn’t the only one excited about the trip. He swung his legs back over and Hyuck leapt out of his hands, aiming for Taeyong’s little box of paints. Taeyong watched, amused, as Hyuck, in his excitement, toppled over and into the paint box, upsetting some of the jars that were neatly lined up. 

“Relax,” he said with a soft chuckle, setting Hyuck back down on the floor. “You want to paint?” 

Hyuck dragged out a piece of parchment.  _ Yes. Now hurry up and pass me the purple.  _

He even turned purple to make a point. Taeyong laid out all the paints, and Hyuck didn’t even wait for him to finish before he dipped his claws into the dye and began pattering around on his paper. Taeyong, on the other hand, turned his attention to the wall above his bed. 

This piece was his latest project. The scene told a story, one that Taeyong had been wanting to live for a long while, and perhaps, it’d happen rather soon. 

He had painted the night sky first, slathering on dark blue paint that covered the whole space. Once that had dried, he painted a tall tree and then, dozens of floating lights flying up from below the horizon. The lights made up the stars in the night sky, and to finish it off, Taeyong painted a boy sitting alone in the tree, golden hair glowing as he watched the night brilliantly light up. 

Taeyong was just finishing adding a little chameleon, and a brighter shade of blonde to the long hair of the painting, when a voice called out from below his window. 

“Taeyong,” the voice sang, “let down your hair!” 

Taeyong recognized his mother’s voice and hurriedly cleared the space. 

_ You better ask her about the lights,  _ Hyuck croaked as Taeyong placed all the paint jars back into the box. He was almost out of his darker colors, he’d have to ask for more later. Or maybe, he could buy his own paints for the first time if Mother allowed him into the city. 

“Yeah, yeah, how could I forget?” He responded easily. Inside, he was feeling different levels of nervousness. Every time he had asked his mother about stepping outside of the tower, Taeyong was always met with a firm “no”. He’d been warned about the dangers and threats of the world outside, and frankly, it did scare him. But his wonder out ruled the fear and left him eager to leave the tower at least once. 

“Taeyong!” Mother called again. 

Taeyong hurried to the window, after giving one last look at his clean and very tidy room. Hyuck had taken up his position on Taeyong’s shoulder and both of them felt the spring breeze as the window was thrown open. 

Taeyong hefted his hair up and over a hook above the window, and seventy feet worth of golden hair dropped to the ground below. He waited for the familiar tug below and gently started to pull his hair back up into the tower. 

On the other end stood his mother. 

Taeyong stood panting, pulling this hair back from the hook. “Welcome home, mother,” he got out with a smile. 

“Taeyong, dear, how you manage to do that every day I will never know,” Mother Gothel said, setting down her basket full of vegetables for dinner later. 

Taeyong laughed shyly, his disheveled hair falling in front of his face. “It’s really nothing,” he assured. 

“Took you longer this time,” Mother said, tapping his nose. 

Taeyong shared a laugh, but much more quieter and more wobbly. He hated that he was falling apart before he could even steer the conversation into the direction of the lights. 

Mother must have noticed his reaction through the mirror she was looking at because after her loud, boisterous laugh, she said, “oh, sweetie, I’m just teasing you.” She went back to examining herself in the mirror. 

Taeyong heard soft chirps from behind him. Hyuck was peeking out from behind a flower pot and gave him a look.  _ Quit stalling. Ask.  _

Taeyong shooed him away just as Mother turned back around, a frown on her face. Taeyong immediately sucked back the words bubbling in his mouth. Instead, he replaced them with, “is everything all right, Mother?” 

“Darling light, Mother isn’t feeling too well right now. Will you please sing for her?” 

Taeyong chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. “Then we’ll talk?” 

“Yes, dear. Bring me your brush.” 

Taeyong burst into action, dragging a chair into place, sliding a stool in front of it, and plopped himself down with his brush in hand. He shoved the brush into Mother’s hand and began to sing. 

_ Flower gleam and glow _

_ Let your power shine _

_ Make the clock reverse  _

_ Bring back what once was mine  _

_ Heal what has been hurt  _

_ Change the fate’s design  _

_ Save what has been lost _

_ Bring back what once was mine.  _

All in one breath. Taeyong had half the mind to be impressed with himself. 

“Taeyong!” His Mother gasped. 

He whirled around in his seat, catching the last of the glow disappearing from his hair as Mother, looking better than before, hurried to brush the ends of his long hair. 

“So, Mother,” he began, afraid that if he continued to stall, he’d lose all courage. “I couldn’t get this in earlier, but tomorrow is a pretty special day.”

“Tomorrow?” 

“It’s my birthday!” Taeyong said, smiling widely and clinging to Mother’s arm. 

Mother smiled down at him. “Your birthday was last year, wasn’t it?” 

Taeyong rolled his eyes, giggling. “You see, they’re annual. And I’m turning twenty tomorrow, and I really want--“ he cut himself off, trying to form a coherent sentence that made sense and his mother would listen to. “--actually, what I’ve wanted for a few years now,” he mumbled, mostly to himself. 

“Taeyong, you know how I hate the mumbling. Spit it out, darling.” Her tone was cold, but Taeyong was near vibrating with the huge question just dancing on his lips. 

Hyuck chirped from behind the pot again.  _ Now or never.  _

Taeyong sucked in a deep breath. This was it. Now or never. “I want to see the floating lights!” he got out. 

He saw Mother visibly stiffen at the mention of the lights, and tried very hard to not to let disappointment fill him. After all, he hadn’t heard the resounding “absolutely not” yet, so convincing could be done. 

“What?” 

“Oh, I was hoping you’d take me to see the floating lights. Tomorrow,” he amended far more quietly than his outburst earlier. 

“They’re stars, Taeyong, nothing more.” 

Taeyong hopped onto his bed and pushed aside the curtain hiding his project of the lanterns. “They’re not stars,” he pressed. “I’ve been watching them, but these lights only appear on my birthday.” He turned back to see his painting, his dream. “I can’t help but wonder if they’re meant for me. So, I have to see them. Not from the tower, but in person.” 

He turned around to face his mother, proud of his impromptu speech from his heart. 

But to his dismay, Mother didn’t look pleased. 

“You want to go outside?” She asked. 

“Yes, that’s where--” 

“Look at you,” Mother interrupted. “You’re so thin, so fragile. And you want to leave this tower?” 

“I know about--” Taeyong tried. 

Mother held out her hands and Taeyong took them, yelping as he was pulled back onto the floor. “The world out there is full of bad people, dear. Ruffians, thugs, the most wanted criminals run rampant. Not to mention the various illnesses that you could contract. Illnesses that can give you blistering warts and bloody coughs.” She poked him in the stomach with her long nails, eliciting a wince from Taeyong. 

“I won’t speak to anyone, I promise,” Taeyong said, rubbing his ribs where he’d been poked. 

Mother sucked in a breath. “That’s the other thing. Look at you.” She spun the mirror around and Taeyong was, well, looking at himself with a curious look on his face. 

“What about me?” He asked. 

“You’re a klutz. You cuff your pants too short, you have paint on almost all your clothes, and a proper gentleman never rolls his sleeves up beyond his elbow.” 

Taeyong scanned his entire body. Sure, he was on the thinner side and yes, there were splatters of paint on his forearms, but if children could walk through the city streets without running into any trouble, so could he, right? 

“You look absolutely gullible. Anyone would dupe you for all your money and the clothes on your back,” Mother said into his ear, and Taeyong finally felt the twist in his stomach he’d been trying to keep at bay. 

Suddenly, he couldn’t look at himself anymore. She was right. He’d spent his whole life in the tower, how would he be able to interact with anyone? Know anything about the world? He trained his eyes on the floorboards under his feet, clenching his jaw. There had to be something he could do to prove to his mother that he was capable of taking care of himself. 

Mother noticed. “There, there, my light. Mother’s right here. Mother will protect you.” She enveloped him into a hug that Taeyong didn’t really feel. He wrapped his arms around her anyways, all too aware of how skinny his arms looked encircled around his mother. He bit back a wince. 

They stayed like that for some time, Taeyong still racking his brain for something to convince Mother. He could take care of himself. He’d prove it somehow. 

“Taeyong?” Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. 

He peeled back enough to look at her. 

Mother’s eyes bore into his own when she said, “don’t ever ask about leaving this tower.”

Taeyong blew a resigned sigh. He just had to prove himself. That’s all. But for now, he muttered, “yes, Mother.” 

“I love you, dear.” His mother pulled away and picked up a new basket to finish her shopping. 

“I love you more.” Taeyong lifted his hair and hooked it, allowing for his mother to grab on. 

“I love you the mostest.” She placed a kiss to the top of his head and then she descended, a final wave, and Taeyong was left watching from his tower, alone once more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell about this au on twitter with me! @nomoreeggstofry // https://twitter.com/nomoreeggstofry


	3. Jaehyun

Having the crown, which was stolen right from inside the castle, in his satchel bouncing against his hip as he and the twins bolted across the bridge, away from said castle, all before eight in the morning was nothing short of a win for Jae. 

In fact, it almost made up for the time that he’d been awake for the past two days confirming the guard rotations so that they could even get onto castle grounds in the first place. 

Well,  _ almost.  _

He still had his plan to carry out, and it just got harder now that the Guard was pursuing them with full force. 

“I can’t believe I only got to see the view for two minutes,” he mourned. “I truly felt like a king, you guys should have tried it.” 

One of the twins, Jae could still not remember which was which despite their agreement to work together, cut him a look. “You’ll get the same view from the prison, which is where we’ll end up if we don’t disappear.” 

“Alrighty then, gentlemen,” Jae crooned, unable to stop the smile from spreading on his face. “To the forests.” He put on a boost of speed and the trio darted into the densely wooded area on the other side of the island. 

Jae saw trees and patches of shrubbery as he flew by, jumping over logs and making hard turns in an attempt to dodge the guards. They were getting a little  _ too _ close for his liking. He heard horse hooves hitting the ground behind him, and even as he tried, the fear began to rile up in the base of his stomach. 

Up ahead, he squinted at something flapping in the wind that was tacked to a tree trunk. He snatched it off the trunk as he ran past and looked down at it. 

“This is unbelievable,” Jae gasped out as they slid down a small hill and leaned against the stone wall to catch their breath. “This can’t be real. How did this happen?” 

The twins exchanged a look before turning back to Jae clutching the paper in his hands. “What are you talking about?” 

Jae flipped the paper over, showing them the wanted poster. It had his name boldly printed at the top, and a hideous drawing of Jae himself. Below that was a sum being offered to anyone who would aid in his capture, but Jae was having a hard time looking past the picture. 

“What’s wrong with it?” The other twin growled. 

“Is this what being the victim of a crime feels like?” Jae whined. “I do not look like this, and the damn Captain of the Guard  _ knows  _ that.” He shook his head. “I suppose it’s hard to describe a face like mine.” 

“There!” A voice shouted from above them and Jae twisted around. The universe must hate him because there was the Captain of the Guard himself sitting on a sturdy looking white horse. 

“Go!” One of the twins shouted and Jae shoved the poster into his satchel and they hurried deeper into the woods. 

Maybe the fear was finally speaking some sense into Jae’s head, but he would swear that he caught more glimpses of that stupid white horse this time as they rounded a corner into what looked like an alcove hedged with a similar stone wall as before. 

Jae skidded to a stop, looking up at the wall that faced them. The hooves were moving fast, and he could still hear them.  _ Think, think, think.  _

He had an idea. A pretty bad idea, but this was bound to happen sooner or later anyway. Jae learned from years of thievery and dealing with mercenaries from around the world that it was him or them. And he made the decision that kept him alive all those years while he chased after impossible dreams. 

Jae whirled around to the twins. “Give me a boost, and I’ll pull you up.” 

The twins exchanged another look. “Do you think we’re stupid?” One snarled. 

“Give us the satchel first,” the other demanded, holding out his hand. 

_ Fuck _ . “After everything we pulled together, you still don’t trust me?” He said in his most offended tone. 

“Anyone with brains wouldn’t trust you,” one of the twins shot back. “Give us the damn satchel.”

Jae gave them a deadpan look. “Fine.” He slid it off and dropped it into their awaiting hand. 

It made his plan a little bit more complicated, but he was Jung Jae, a notorious criminal known for his charm and incredibly good looks, for a reason. 

Once the twins were satisfied, they got into position, bracing one side of themselves against the stone wall and cupping their hands by their knees. 

Jae took a few steps back, eyeing the height of the wall and the twins. Mostly the twins. They were right about not trusting him, but Jae wasn’t trusting them any more than they were him. 

“Move, Jung.” One gave the signal and Jae sprinted forward, one foot softly landing in their cupped hands, and his hands steadying himself on their shoulders. He used his momentum to jump, aided with the twins’ launch and then, he was soaring up and over the wall. Jae landed on his feet and looked down where the twins were standing. 

“Alright, help us up, Dimples,” One called up to him. 

Jae broke out into the most shit eating grin he could muster. “Apologies, gentlemen. My hands are full.” In one hand dangled the satchel he snatched off the burly man before he leapt up. 

Jae scrambled to his feet and hurtled back into the forest, hearing a very agitated and a very pissed “ _ Jung Jae”  _ being shouted behind him. 

Somewhere in the back of his head, Jae knew that the only way off this kingdom was to take a ferry. He should circle back and make it back to the docks on the island before the scary twins get there first and intercept him there. Jae knew he wasn’t walking away from them a second time. So he should make it back first. Yes, this sounded like a solid plan to him. 

He once knew these forests, but it had been a while since he found himself in the woods of the kingdom. Jae was running on a fading memory many years ago. He approached a clearing and came to a halt, catching his breath and deciding on left or right. 

Just then, an arrow whizzed over his head. Jae ducked instinctively and looked over his shoulder. The Guard thundered over a mound, led by their captain on the white horse. 

“Shit.” Jae took off again. 

“Get that satchel back!” Jae heard the Captain order. “Jung is mine.” 

Jae’s heart rate picked up a little faster. He darted through the trees, sliding over the leaves lining the forest floor. Arrows whizzed by his legs and over his shoulders, lodging into a log he ducked under a second before. Jae risked a glance behind him, shocked at how close they were. 

_ Shit, shit, shit.  _

He threw himself off the path, seeing a wide tree with sprawling low branches. He didn’t give himself time to think. Jae deftly jumped and made himself small enough to make it through between the branches. 

“Yes!” He cheered when he saw the other guards and their horses pulling to a stop before the thick branches. 

But then, he saw a flash of white. 

“Oh, you’re kidding,” he groaned, turning his attention back ahead. Forget the Captain, how determined was this horse to see him captured? 

There were some low hanging vines and the bare bones of a plan came together. Jae sprinted forward, pushed off a rock, grabbed onto the vine and used all the momentum he had to force his body to swing around the tree branch. Now, if he had just timed it right… 

By the time he circled the tree, his eyes met a lifted crossbow. Beyond that, the permanent scowl of the Captain. Jae brought his knees close to his chest and lashed out before the arrow could be released. The Captain went flying, and by some miracle Jae was sure he didn’t earn, he found himself on top of the white horse. 

On instinct, he grabbed onto the reins, feeling joy when he saw that no one else was chasing him. With a shout, he spurred on the horse, expecting a new burst of speed that would take him far away from here. Instead, he found himself nearly thrown off the horse as the beast came to a screeching halt. 

Jae tipped forward holding onto the satchel in one hand, and tugging on the mane of the horse with the other. The horse twisted around. 

_ You.  _

Jae tilted his head. “Huh?” 

Without warning, the horse lunged, teeth snapping towards the satchel. Jae pulled it away, wondering with what luck he just had to get on this one horse that seemed hell bent on capturing him. 

Teeth snapped down on empty air again. 

Or hell bent on killing him. 

“No,” He said, lifting the satchel as far away from the horse’s mouth. “No, quit it! Stop!” He embarrassingly felt like he was speaking to a very ill-mannered dog. 

The horse did not, and Jae felt themselves spinning, fighting over the bag. He was so close. He ditched the guards, the twins were nowhere to be seen, and he, for once, had a plan. All he had to do was get to the damn docks, and then onto the next dream. 

The horse jerked his head a little more violently, and Jae responded by quickly moving his arm even further back. But then, the horse bucked his hind legs, and Jae lost his grip on the satchel. 

The two of them paused to watch it go flying over the edge of a cliff, miraculously getting snagged on the edge of a fallen tree trunk. 

A second later, Jae and the horse lunged forward, grabbing onto each other’s legs in an attempt to slow the other down while they raced to the branch holding the precious satchel. 

_ Jae’s  _ precious satchel. 

The horse got there first, walking on whatever the equivalent of horse toes were, on the narrow branch. 

“Fuck you,” Jae gritted out, launching himself back on top of the horse. They wobbled precariously, feeling the whole branch shake and creak under their combined weight. Jae didn’t think about it, only kept his eyes on the satchel just a few feet away. 

Somehow, he got his feet underneath him, and he pushed off the horse, gripping the branch tightly as he put one hand in front of the other, making his way to the extending branch. Above him, to his horror, the stupid horse was  _ stomping  _ on the places where his hands were holding onto his dear life moment before. 

Jae twisted around, breathing hard, but the satchel was right  _ there.  _ Just a few more feet... 

“Aha!” He shouted in victory, snatching it off the branch. 

The horse leaned forward. There was a loud crack. Jae met the horse’s eyes. 

_ Oh, come on,  _ they both seemed to say. 

The branch cracked all the way, sending both Jae and the horse down the cliff and into the forest below. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell about this au on twitter with me! @nomoreeggstofry // https://twitter.com/nomoreeggstofry


	4. Taeyong

Taeyong and Hyuck were in the middle of stress baking when they’d heard the first scrapes of metal on stone. 

They’d thought about what would happen if someone discovered the tower and had a plan for it, mostly pushed by Taeyong himself. He was sure Hyuck was glad for all the nights wondering about what they’d do right about now. 

He quickly set everything away, hidden to look as abandoned as possible. When he was done, he looked over to Hyuck who was peeking down the tower from the window. Hyuck nodded, and Taeyong’s heart began to race. Sure, they planned for this, Mother even warned him enough of this threat, but it didn’t do anything to take the fear away. 

Taeyong grabbed the closest thing to a formidable weapon he could find in his room, which happened to be a frying pan of all things. Hyuck scampered back onto his shoulder as the scrapes on the stone got louder, nearer. 

They huddled into a corner, Taeyong taking care of his hair to make sure it too was all hidden in the shadows. 

“Hyuck, if anything happens-“ he began, twisting the pan in his sweaty palms. 

Hyuck chirped.  _ Shut up, just aim for the head. We’re gonna be okay.  _

Taeyong gave a firm nod, and readjusted his stance. 

The window shutters burst open, and Taeyong shrunk back, Hyuck already blending into his surroundings. 

A man dragged himself in, gasping for air. He looked sweaty and very much out of breath. He wore simple clothes, sturdy boots, tan trousers covered in dust, and a shirt that was...folded up past his forearms. 

Taeyong squinted. 

The stranger peered out the window for a moment longer before a smile appeared on his face, and Taeyong was left to wonder why this man who looked like he was suffering found it in himself to smile. 

He watched the man take off a brown bag that was slung across him, and he looked at the bag with something akin to...admiration? Love? Taeyong couldn’t decipher the look the man was giving to his bag. 

As the man opened his bag with that same smile, he turned around, exposing his back to Taeyong and Hyuck. 

_ Tae, do it now!  _ Hyuck encouraged. 

Taeyong gulped and took a silent step forward, lifting the frying pan. 

“Hello, shiny,” the man crooned to whatever was in the bag. Taeyong took the moment and swung with all his might. 

There was a loud clanging noise that echoed throughout the whole cove, and the man fell over with a thud. 

Taeyong retreated as fast as he could with a yelp on his lips. He leaned over the chair he was hiding behind to see what the stranger would do. When he didn’t move, Taeyong gathered up his courage and inched forward to get a better look, holding the pan out in front of him. 

He looked normal. Nothing like the terrible monsters Mother Gothel used to describe in her stories. Like Taeyong, the man had long lashes, a strong nose, pink lips pouted as his face was smushed into the floor. 

Hyuck held up two claws up to his mouth and frowned, turning red.  _ Any fangs or claws?  _

Taeyong frowned down at the body. He couldn’t see any claws, but he could still be hiding fangs. Taeyong flipped the pan over, using the handle side to lift his pretty lips up to get a closer look. His frown deepened. “No fangs,” he reported to Hyuck who simply just shrugged. 

So who was he? He wasn’t a monster, he didn’t look like a big, scary criminal with facial scars or missing body parts. He didn’t look sick either. Taeyong didn’t think any sick person would have been able to climb the tower in any bad state.

That too. The stranger climbed the tower without any help from Taeyong’s hair, so he must be strong. Taeyong didn’t understand. Isn’t this man what his Mother wanted from him? 

The idea hit him hard and fast. “Hyuck! I have a plan!” The little creature crossed over the floor and found his home on top of Taeyong’s head where he could see everything as Taeyong did. “Let’s show Mother that we can take care of ourselves! Then she can trust us to go see the lights tomorrow!” Taeyong looked upwards, wanting to gauge the reaction of his friend. 

Hyuck chirped happily.  _ But what if he wakes up before Mother Gothel comes back? He looks so strong. _

Taeyong scanned the room, setting a hand on his hip. “The wardrobe?” He suggested. Hyuck shrugged, Taeyong catching the movement in the mirror across them. 

Deciding on that, Taeyong crouched down beside the man and hooked his arms underneath the man’s armpits. With a grunt he tried to straighten a little bit, just enough to drag him towards the open wardrobe. He wheezed as he dropped the stranger in front of the open wardrobe, wondering how he’d stuff the stranger inside. 

Hyuck chirped.  _ Feet first?  _

Taeyong grabbed the man’s feet and pushed them inside, pushing the rest of him as well. But he got stuck at the man’s ribs. He was just too heavy. Or Taeyong was just too weak. 

Taeyong hummed in thought. Then a thought hit him again. “Let’s try this.” He wrapped his hair around the torso of the man, and, similar to the mechanism that pulls up his Mother, Taeyong began pulling on his hair. 

He was straining with the weight, but laughed victoriously as the man finally began to be lifted up and into the wardrobe. 

“Now, Hyuck!” Taeyong got out. 

Hyuck hurried over, using his head to push the wardrobe doors close. And like that, Taeyong and Hyuck had a man in his wardrobe. 

Taeyong shoved a chair underneath the wardrobe handles and stumbled back, lifting the frying pan once more. 

“Okay,” he said, shakily, mostly to himself. “Okay, okay. He’s in my closet. He’s  _ in my closet. _ ” His late night talks with Hyuck were only meant to be delusional talks. Never in a million years did he expect any of those once frivolous and rooted in paranoia plans to actually be put into action. 

He turned to Hyuck, who was sniffing around the satchel the man had brought up with him. “You think this is enough to let Mother send us out for the day and night tomorrow?” 

Hyuck made a low noise, barely paying attention. Taeyong rolled his eyes. “Come on, Hyuckie. We have a person in my closet, and he didn’t even get near us! I think we should celebrate the-“ 

Taeyong’s words were abruptly cut off when Hyuck pushed out something bright and shiny out from the bag. 

Taeyong’s eyes widened at the sight. “Wow,” he said with awe, crouching down next to him. “That’s gorgeous.” Hyuck pushed the shiny thing towards Taeyong who carefully picked it up. It was in a half circle, jewels and other precious stones decorating the circle. “What do you do with it?” 

_ I think you put it on.  _

Taeyong lifted it up to his waist. No, it was too small to be an adorned belt. The half circle prevented it from being a bracelet, and it was simply too big to make it into a ring. 

As he was staring at it, the light caught in some of the shinier decorative pieces and reflected off the nearby mirror, catching Taeyong’s attention. 

He looked over, once again seeing the sight of his messy look, mused hair, bare feet, bony elbows red. But this time, he was holding a beautiful, shiny half circle... thing. And something told him to put it on his head. 

Taeyong wasn’t sure where the idea came from, but it just made sense. So carefully, with two hands, he lifted it above his head and gently placed it down, watching how his hair smoothed out under the weight of it. 

Somehow, this felt  _ right.  _

Hyuck didn’t think so. He shook his head vigorously.  _ No, it can’t go on your head. You look so aged with it on.  _

“Piss off, Hyuck,” Taeyong said with a grin, taking the pretty piece off his head. 

“Taeyong! Let down your hair!” Mother’s voice came from below, startling Taeyong and Hyuck. 

“Okay, okay, this is it,” Taeyong said, giving one last look to his wardrobe. 

“Taeyong!” Mother called again. “I have a surprise for you!” 

Taeyong threw open the window shutters, preparing to throw down his hair. “Coming, Mother!” 

Long, golden hair ribboned down, swaying in the wind. Taeyong braced himself against the window and pulled with all his might, hoisting his hair back up and his Mother with it. 

“I brought back sprinkles. We can make cake for your birthday tomorrow,” Mother said as soon as she stepped inside. “Surprise!” 

“Well, Mother, I wanted to show you something,” Taeyong began, wringing his hands together. 

“Oh, Taeyong dear, you know how much I hate leaving you after a fight,” Mother said, busy with setting out her vegetables. “Even when I haven’t done anything wrong.” 

“That’s okay! I was just thinking about what you were saying earlier--”

“Taeyong, I hope you’re not talking about the stars. We’ve already talked about this.” 

“Yes, I’m getting to that, but--” 

“Taeyong, drop the issue.” 

Taeyong was already walking towards his wardrobe, reaching out to move the chair. “No, just listen to me, you  _ think  _ I’m not strong enough to take care of myself--”

“--because you aren’t,” Mother cut in. 

“But if you would just--”

“Taeyong, stop it.” Mother’s voice was cold, stern, but all he had to do was  _ show  _ her. 

“I really do think that I can--”

“Taeyong...” 

“Spend one day at the kingdom--”

“--There is nothing out there for you.” 

“Just look at this.” Taeyong’s fingertips touched the top of the chair. 

“You are not leaving this tower,  _ ever _ !” 

Mother’s voice echoed across the room. Taeyong flinched, slowly removing his fingers from the chair. An uncomfortable silence stretched and Taeyong swallowed back a lump in his throat. Maybe there was nothing he could do to show Mother. Maybe he’d be doomed to be stuck in this tower until he died. 

His mother blew out a sigh and plopped down into a chair, rubbing her head. “We’re fighting again,” she said. 

Taeyong chewed on his lip, standing in front of the wardrobe, maybe even trying to hide it from Mother’s view. It wasn’t worth it. She wasn’t going to listen anyway. In the corner of the room, he watched Hyuck turn a deep blue. Taeyong wished he could do that, maybe then he’d feel like his emotions were being noticed. 

“I know what I want for my birthday,” he said instead, way too softly. 

“What?” She bit out. 

Taeyong flinched again. “New paint? Darker colors mostly.” 

“New paint will take me three days, Taeyong,” Mother said gently. 

“I know,” Taeyong said even more softly. “I just...thought it was a better idea than the...the stars.” He stared down at his feet. 

His mother sighed again and stood up. “That I can do,” she decided. “Are you sure you’ll be alright here by yourself?”

Taeyong walked towards her open arms, still not meeting her eyes. “As long as I stay here, I’ll be safe,” he said as they hugged. 

An hour later, Mother was packed for the trip. One more hug, several ‘I love you’s’ that Taeyong still didn’t really feel, and Mother was waving goodbye before she disappeared out of the cove. 

Hyuck chirped on the window sill after she was gone.  _ Plan B?  _

Taeyong turned his gaze back to the wardrobe. “Plan B,” he said firmly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell about this au on twitter with me! @nomoreeggstofry // https://twitter.com/nomoreeggstofry


	5. Jaehyun

Jae could count how many bad days he’s had on one hand. First would be the day he landed at the orphanage. Second would be when he accidentally threw his pie in the trash instead of the napkin in his other hand. And the third worst day would be today, waking up to a frog’s tongue in his ear and incredibly long hair wrapped around him keeping him stuck to a chair. 

Frankly, today would mark the first strange day he’s had. Maybe he should keep track of those days too. 

He yelped, wiggling his shoulders hard enough to get the green frog thing off him. “What the fuck,” He groaned as he came to. He tensed his whole body, feeling just how trapped he was. He squinted, following the restraints wrap around his arms, torso, and legs, disappearing somewhere into the shadows. “Is this...hair?” 

“There is nothing you can say to get you out of that chair,” a voice said from above. It sounded like it was forced courage. 

“Huh?” Jae tried to see where the voice was coming from, but all he could make out was some movement as whoever it was dropped back to the ground. 

“I know why you’re here,” the voice said lowly. 

“Why  _ I’m _ here?” Jae asked. 

“Who are you, and how did you find me?” 

Finally, Jae’s captor stepped into the light and Jae’s mouth dropped open. 

Before him stood a young man, thin, bare-footed, and holding a frying pan poised to hit Jae’s face again, but he could ignore that to stare into the stranger’s huge doe eyes. 

He was stunning. Jae had no other way to describe his captor. 

Captor.  _ Captor _ , right. He was captured in hair, and wow, this was definitely the first weird day he’s ever had. 

Jae cleared his throat. “I do not know who you are, and I don’t know how I came to be here, but has anyone ever told you how pretty your eyes are?” 

Okay, so maybe flirting his way out of this wasn’t the smartest move, but in his defense, a really,  _ really,  _ pretty boy was standing right in front of him. His options were limited. 

Pretty boy looked like he was fuming (Jae wouldn’t be able to tell though, all he saw was an adorable little nose), and lifted the frying pan higher, threatening to hit Jae again. 

Jae snapped out of it then. “Okay! Okay!” He got out hastily. “I was in a little situation while frolicking in the woods, and then I saw this tower and I climbed it,” he explained. 

The pretty boy looked taken back for a second, the frying pan lowering just an inch. “Wait, you weren’t looking for the tower?” 

“No! It was just oddly convenient!” 

“You…you’re not going to take my hair?” 

“What? Why would I--” Jae took in a breath. “Let me try again. Hello, my name is Jung Jae, and no, I am not looking to steal your hair or whatever. I’d just really like to get out of it. Please,” he tacked on, trying to wiggle out of it for emphasis.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Pretty boy asked, leveling the frying pan with Jae’s eyes. 

Jae leaned back. “I guess you don’t. But if I get my…” Realization hit him out of nowhere. “My satchel! Where is it?” He looked around the room, searching for that familiar brown bag he’d spent so long trying to protect. 

Pretty boy folded his arms and smiled smugly. “I’ve hidden it. Somewhere you’ll never find it.” 

Jae groaned, slouching in his chair as much as he could. “Look, Blondie--” 

“Taeyong.” 

“Whatever. If I get my satchel back with everything in it, I promise I’ll be on my way and you can go on yours, and maybe one day we’ll meet in a lively bar, and share a drink, hm? It’ll be on me.” 

Jae watched as a frown appeared on the boy’s—Taeyong’s—face, the frog finding its place on his shoulder. Taeyong blinked and spun around, whispering quietly to his frog. 

Jae rolled his eyes and went back to looking for his satchel. There was a little paint box against the wall, and Jae figured it was big enough and subtle enough to hold his belongings. He was busy trying to tip his chair into that direction when Taeyong turned back towards him. 

“Alright, Jung Jae,” He announced. “I’ll make a deal with you.” 

“You want to make a deal with me?” Jae asked, incredulous.

Taeyong didn’t pay him any attention. “You will act as an escort for me into the kingdom to see the floating lights tomorrow and bring me home safely. Then, and  _ only  _ then, will I give you your satchel back.” 

Jae stared with his mouth open again. “Hold on, you want me to take you to see the lantern thing for the lost prince, bring you back, and  _ that’s  _ when I get my stuff back?” Not really  _ his  _ stuff, but Taeyong didn’t need to know that. 

“Yes,” Taeyong nodded, crossing his arms. “Simple.” 

“No, not simple!” Jae protested. “Listen, the kingdom and I have sort of an angry-ex-who-won’t-leave-me-alone type of relationship, so I can’t be waltzing around the town like that. No can do, Blondie.” 

Jae couldn’t get in another word before Taeyong grabbed his own hair and pulled hard. 

“Something brought you here, Jung Jae.” The chair jerked and Jae felt how it scraped against the floor as Taeyong yanked it closer. “Fate. Destiny.” 

“A very persistent horse, actually,” Jae offered. 

Taeyong ignored him again. “But without me, you will never find your precious satchel.” Taeyong gave one last hard tug and suddenly, they were only inches apart, and fuck, Jae was staring into those huge eyes again. Was Taeyong some sort of witch? How did he keep leaving Jae at a loss of words? 

Jae blinked. “Let me just get this straight, I take you to see the lanterns, bring you back, and we’ll part ways?” 

Taeyong looked so serious when he said, “promise.” 

Jae eyed him. Honestly, he wouldn’t mind spending a little bit more time in Taeyong’s company. He had a million questions about the tower, the frog, the hair, but his dream of riches could be delayed three days. It wasn’t efficient or even necessary, but what other choice did he have? 

“Fine, I’ll take you to see the lanterns,” he muttered. 

“Really?” Taeyong asked, instantly excited. Jae lifted a brow at the sudden change of expression. “Uh, I mean, good. We’re leaving right now.” Taeyong loosened the hair around Jae’s body and left him to untangle himself while he gathered some things for the trip. Jae watched him move, seeing how fluidly his steps were and how smoothly he hurried around the room. Who was this boy? Why was he in this tower alone? 

Something chirped too close to his ear and he flinched. 

_ Quit staring at him, you creep,  _ the frog seemed to say. Jae found himself looking away after that. 

Alright, so he was doing this. Fine. He would handle this. Three days later, and he and his satchel will be far, far, away from here and it would all be well again. 

Three days, Jae told himself. Easy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell about this au on twitter with me! @nomoreeggstofry // https://twitter.com/nomoreeggstofry


	6. Taeyong

He was doing this. 

He was  _ actually  _ going to do this. 

“Hurry up, Blondie,” Jae called from below. 

Taeyong stood on the sill, hair already lifted into place so he could rappel down easily. All he had to do was jump. He eyed the grass below him, Jae using two arrows he’d found to help himself down, and when Taeyong took in a breath, he could smell the fresh dirt by the stream. 

He was so close. The world was halfway there for him. He was going to finally reach out today. 

“You ready?” He asked Hyuck who was safely secured on his shoulder. 

Hyuck smiled cheekily.  _ Ready. Let’s go.  _

Taeyong loosed a breath. “Here I go,” he muttered. Eyes closed, holding onto his hair tightly, Taeyong leapt off the sill, sliding down until he was just inches above the ground. 

Now he too was over half way to the world. He was only inches away. Just inches. He could do this. 

Gently, he lowered his feet. He felt soft grass under his toes and softly gasped. He was here. He made it. He had finally met the world. 

The boy was elated, filled with so much joy that he could allow himself to forget about the lies he told and instead run towards the stream. Cold water splashed up his bare feet and ankles and Taeyong scooped some up in his hands and threw it above him, laughing as the water sprayed down on him. A few flowers were growing near the banks of the stream and Taeyong gasped again, crouching down to pick some up. 

All of this, this new feeling of being free, of being able to breathe in air that wasn’t in the tower… it was all right here. Right outside the same window he’d stared out of for countless days. He was going to see the lanterns himself, the very thing he’d been dreaming about for years. 

Taeyong sniffed the bunch of flowers he had gathered in his arms to distract himself from screaming. 

“Okay, Blondie,” Jae said from behind. “Let’s get going.” 

Taeyong giggled, shoving the bunch of flowers into Jae’s hands and darted across the cove, through the vines that hid the tower, and then he was out in the open woods. Birds flew over his head, wind rustled the branches, and he let the sunlight filter through the branches and onto his face. 

_ Tae! We did it!  _ Hyuck jumped happily on the ground, exploring different flowers. 

Taeyong’s face was starting to hurt from all the giddy smiles but he couldn’t help it. “We did! I can’t believe we…” His voice trailed off as the reality of his situation hit him. “We left the tower,” He said, heart sinking. 

“Blondie! Wait up!” Jae came crashing through the vines. He frowned, seeing Taeyong’s expression. “What’s wrong? We just left.” 

“Exactly,” Taeyong whispered into his hands. “We  _ left. _ That… that’s never happened before.” 

Jae stared for a while. “Yeah, okay,” He finally said. “So, if leaving was going to be a problem, then maybe you should--”

Taeyong suddenly perked up. “But Mother won’t know, right? She left for three days. As long as we get back before her, right?” 

“Mother?” Jae asked. 

Taeyong started pacing, his mind moving too fast for him to comprehend anything else. “But if we don’t make it back, then what?” 

“Maybe--”

“So we should leave now. Yes, if we leave now, then we won’t be late.” Taeyong stepped over a log, jostling it in the process. He watched with wide eyes as a butterfly flew out of the disturbed log and landed on Taeyong’s outstretched finger. “Yeah,” He said, watching the yellow insect flutter its wings. “I’m never going back.” 

Something bright caught his attention, and Taeyong was off again, this time into another flower patch. “But what if this is a bad idea?” He asked aloud, feeling Hyuck clamber up to his shoulder. Taeyong froze as his mind kept on reeling. “Maybe we should go back, the tower is right there, and—”

_ Snap out of it!  _ Hyuck leapt off his shoulder and landed on a boulder some distance away.  _ This is what you wanted. Quit wallowing and tell the man to hurry up!  _

Taeyong came over to where Hyuck was near screeching from the boulder and set his flowers down. “You’re right, this is what we wanted.” He slid down to the ground with a sigh. “So why do I feel like a horrible son?” He pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his arms. He didn’t know that leaving the tower would cause him this much distress. Mother never told him about his own mind being conflicted over a decision. Did leaving make him the bad guy? Would Mother hate him forever? It was all for some lanterns, Taeyong didn’t think it would be all that bad. Right? 

Someone cleared their throat, pulling Taeyong away from all his thoughts. 

“You know, I couldn’t help but notice that you’re at a war with yourself,” Jae said, leaning against the boulder with his arms crossed. 

Taeyong sniffled and rested his chin on his knees. “You noticed?” 

Jae shrugged. “Bits and pieces. An overly doting mother, a tower that sounds more like a prison than a home, yeah, I’m piecing it all together.” 

Hyuck growled from on top of Taeyong’s head, but Taeyong was too busy wiping at his tears to figure out why. Jae shot a look at the chameleon before continuing. “But, here’s what I think. Maybe, this little forbidden road trip would do you some good. A little rebellion doesn’t hurt anyone.” 

_ What the hell is he—  _

Jae scooped Hyuck from the top of Taeyong’s head and set him down on the other side of the boulder. “Look,” Jae began again, probably after seeing the tears welling up in Taeyong’s eyes. Taeyong felt strong hands tug him up, back onto his feet. Jae passed him his frying pan, and somehow that gave Taeyong comfort. “This would easily break your poor mother’s heart and crush her soul. That’s inevitable.”

That didn’t give Taeyong comfort. “Crush her soul?” He repeated, quietly. 

Jae hung his head low. “As much as you’ll hate it, yes.” He blew out a long sigh. “Alright, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m letting you off the deal.” 

Taeyong turned on him. “What?”

“Let’s just turn around. You and your frog go back to your tower, your mother will have her soul and heart intact, and I can have my satchel back, and we leave as unlikely friends.” 

Taeyong wiggled out from Jae’s hold. “No, I  _ will  _ go see those lanterns!” 

Jae rolled his eyes. “Come on,” he whined. “I just want my satchel back.” 

Taeyong lifted the frying pan again. “I’ll use this,” he threatened in his most threatening voice. 

Jae opened his mouth to speak, but a twig snapped loudly, pulling Taeyong’s attention away. “What was that?” He asked. 

The bushes began to rustle loudly, and Taeyong’s hands were turning cold. The bush closest to them rattled and Taeyong yelped, surprised at the noise, and hid behind Jae, burrowing his face into Jae’s shoulder blades. 

“Thugs? Ruffians? Will they come for my hair?” Taeyong squeezed Jae tighter, waving the frying pan a little aimlessly. 

“Blondie, if you would open your eyes--” 

Taeyong opened his eyes. In front of them hopped a little rabbit, disappearing back into a bush. 

“Oh,” he said shyly. “Sorry,” he grinned. “I’m just a little bit jumpy.” In all honesty, Taeyong was glad Jae was his protector. He didn’t know what would happen if they ran into real thugs, but Jae seemed nice. He hadn’t bailed on Taeyong yet, so that had to mean something. 

Jae straightened his clothes. “I think it would be best we avoid thugs and ruffians,” he began slowly. 

Taeyong let his hair fall in front of his face to hide the red creeping up to his ears. “I think so, too,” he laughed lightly. 

“You hungry?” 

“Um, yeah, I could eat.” 

“Good, because I know a place nearby that has the best coffee ever.” Jae wrapped his arm around Taeyong and steered him down a path. 

Taeyong gave one last look towards the cove, telling himself that he’d make it back before Mother would even know. He had to trust himself. After all, he made Jae take him. 

So, he looked ahead. Hyuck had settled himself on Jae’s shoulder and he seemed happy enough. He would make this work. He could try for his dream. 

Taeyong followed Jae, listening to tales of coffee from far away places. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell about this au on twitter with me! @nomoreeggstofry // https://twitter.com/nomoreeggstofry


	7. Jaehyun

Jae wasn’t an asshole. 

He didn’t want to hurt the pretty boy or anything, but he really,  _ really,  _ wanted his satchel back. And while a three day trip with Taeyong wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to him, he was sure it wasn’t worth it over his bag. 

So, no, he wasn’t an asshole. Not entirely. He was a victim just as much as Taeyong was and Jae would stand by that. 

And because of that, Jae didn’t feel any shame or remorse in bringing Taeyong and his little frog friend (named Donghyuck for him, and Hyuck only to Taeyong) to a little establishment called the Snuggly Duckling. 

“The Snuggly Duckling?” Taeyong asked, squinting to read the sign. 

“Yep! Home to the finest coffee on this side of the kingdom.” Jae hoped…well he didn’t know what he hoped for. Some tough looking people with a single digit IQ would be nice. Hopefully no one connected the dots that he was Jung Jae, a criminal with a nice bounty on his head. 

Jae swung the door open. “Welcome to the Snuggly Duckling.” 

The asshole part of him was in glee when he heard Taeyong gasp and shrink behind his frying pan. 

A little less than a dozen crooks and thugs turned their narrowed eyes on the pair as they walked through. Many had scars covering their faces and arms, some were even missing hands, legs, or even eyes. All of them looked at the trio with hunger. 

“Uh, Jae?” Taeyong whispered, holding his hair close with one hand and gripping the frying pan in the other. 

Jae pushed him in, both hands on Taeyong’s bony shoulders. “You smell that? Take a deep breath through your nose. What are you getting?” Jae was rambling, and he knew that, but he was afraid that Taeyong would scream if there was a pocket of silence. “Underneath all that sweat and grime, do you smell the coffee?” 

Taeyong suddenly jerked back, and when they both turned around, they found a man with a scar on his cheek lifting up Taeyong’s hair. “That’s a lot of hair,” the man said, and Taeyong yelped, hurrying away. 

Jae smiled and set his fists on his hips. “I know right. He’s growing it out.” 

“Stupid of you to show up here, Jae,” The man said. “I can’t stop the patrons of this bar from doing anything. It’s bad for business.” 

“Don’t worry, Jungwoo. In fact,” Jae called, making his voice louder “I don’t think you look so good, Blondie.” He strode towards the boy. Poor Taeyong was shivering like a leaf in autumn, his eyes blown as wide as the moon in fear, and Jae felt his first pang of guilt. He ignored it, instead gently taking Taeyong’s arm and tugging him back towards the exit. “Maybe it’s for the best that we pack it up, go home. If you can’t handle these fine gentlemen, then maybe you should go back to your tower.” 

He reached for the door handle and only managed to get the door open slightly before a bigger hand shoved it close again. 

“This you?” 

Jae followed the hand to the face, recognizing the twin scars on the side of his head and the one on his eyebrow. Yuta frowned, silver stud on the edge of his brow glinting in the low light. 

“What’s me?” Jae asked innocently. 

Yuta pushed a paper into Jae’s face, and Jae’s stomach dropped. Another wanted poster. With his name, his bounty, and his... 

“Now, they’re just being mean,” he muttered, taking in the awful portrait of himself. 

“Oh, that’s him, alright,” a voice growled. Jae recognized it coming from Taeil. “Sicheng, go get the guards.” Another man with lithe limbs sprinted away before Jae could stop him. Taeil chuckled lowly. “That reward is going to buy me a brand new knife.” 

Someone else ripped Jae away from Taeyong who stumbled away from the group that was starting to form. “I need the money!” Someone--Doyoung--screeched. 

Once again, Jae was manhandled into someone else’s grip. “No, I’m broke!” Yuta yelled. 

The bar erupted after that. Jae felt his whole body being tugged and pulled on. He was being choked one minute, the next having his ribs crushed by someone else. 

“Gentlemen,” he croaked. “We can figure something out.” 

Somewhere, through the whirlwind of smelly thugs, he could hear Taeyong begging them to let go of Jae. Jae’s heart did something then. He couldn’t tell, but he was glad that Taeyong was on the outside of the fight. 

“Let him go!” Taeyong yelled, hitting whoever he could with the pan. 

Jae stopped struggling in their hands for a moment to see Johnny whirl around to face Taeyong. 

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing with the likes of him?” Johnny asked, jerking a thumb back towards Jae’s direction. 

Taeyong was frowning, lips forming a pout, from what Jae could see. Johnny was towering over him, and yet Taeyong only gripped the frying pan tighter. “That’s none of your business,” he growled, bringing down the pan again. 

Johnny caught it this time. And Jae watched with his heart in his throat as the pan was wrenched from Taeyong’s hands and tossed aside so carelessly. Johnny approached, and Jae saw Taeyong’s eyes grow impossibly wider as the boy took a step back, bumping into a beam supporting the building. 

Jae felt his arm being twisted behind him and he grunted, focus being taken away from Taeyong being cornered. He just needed a moment to breathe, and then he could think of a way to bring back Johnny’s attention to him. Because this wasn’t supposed to happen. All he wanted to do was to scare Taeyong a little bit. Just enough to send them all back to the tower so Jae could be on his way. Not this mess. 

Jae was hauled up to his feet and someone shoved him up against another beam. Jae felt his back spider web in pain upon impact, but all he saw was a raised fist, poised to rain down on his face. 

He shut his eyes and braced himself for the punch. 

It never came. 

Johnny had placed a hand on Yuta’s shoulder, stopping him from letting his fist fly. And behind Johnny was...Taeyong? 

He was peeking over Johnny’s shoulder, big eyes worried as they took in Jae’s form. 

“That’s enough,” Johnny grunted, and Yuta stepped away from Jae. “We’ve all forgotten about our dreams,” He began when everyone visibly loosened. 

That was when Jae knew that Taeyong was behind this. 

Taeil stabbed a knife through the back of Jae’s collar, pinning him to the beam, before he joined the others gathering around Taeyong. Jae only watched on with wonder. 

“Pretty boy was telling me about how his dream was to go see the lanterns they release for the prince,” Johnny was saying. “And I was thinking about my dream.” 

“The one you had about me?” Yuta asked, lifting a brow. 

“No one’s dreaming about you,” Doyoung shot back. 

“No one is  _ definitely _ dreaming about you,” Yuta said. 

Doyoung glared, nose flaring. “I dream about opening a bakery, thank  _ you  _ very much.” 

“A bakery?” Taeil asked, not believing it. “You? A  _ bakery _ ?”

Doyoung turned his glare on him. “You want to open a fucking gym, Taeil.” 

“Taeil wants to open a  _ gym _ ?” Yuta asked, shocked. 

Taeil crossed his arms. “Taeyong doesn’t think that’s a bad idea,” he grumbled. 

Taeyong chuckled sweetly. “None of these are a bad idea,” he said. “I think you all would do so great as a baker and a gym instructor.” He smiled for the first time, and all Jae could do was stare. Never mind coming up with a way to get out of here before the guards arrived. What a mistake this was. 

Jae watched as Taeyong managed to console the thugs, telling them that their dreams are achievable and yes, even though Yuta’s looks could scare off anyone, he should open a flower shop if he wanted. Jungwoo brought them all drinks and he too sat, and discussed his dreams for the bar. 

Even big, tall, strong, Johnny admitted to wanting to open a cafe that only sold various types of coffee. Taeyong’s laughter filled the bar as Johnny and Doyoung decided to have a cafe and a bakery together. 

How did Jae end up with Taeyong? Some mysterious boy from a hidden tower with dozens of feet of hair? How did Jae end up taking Taeyong to the kingdom, even though he was a wanted criminal, just because the boy said he wanted to see the lanterns? How did he end up  _ here _ ? 

Jae just needed his satchel back. His world would return to a normal of thievery and riches. Not of his heart feeling like it was going to burst every time he watched Taeyong laugh in his high pitched voice. Why was his heart doing that in the first place? 

“What about you?” Yuta asked. 

“Me?” Jae deadpanned from his position against the beam. 

“Yeah, you,” Doyoung urged. “What’s your dream?” 

“My dream?” 

“You sound like a parrot, Dimples. Tell us your dream,” Johnny added. 

Jae let out a laugh. “No, no, boys. I don’t do the whole dream thing.” 

Yuta flicked his wrist and a blade landed right above Jae’s head before he could blink. Jae didn’t even flinch, but he got the message. 

“I dream of being alone,” he began. “On an island where I can sleep whenever I want and eat whatever I want. I dream I would be surrounded by piles of money that I could use whenever on whatever. That’s my dream.” Jae spent most of his days thinking about how brilliant his life would be once he became rich. No more hungry nights, no more coats with holes in them, and most importantly, no more running. He wasn’t tired of it yet, but some days, he wondered if there was anything more to life than being Jung Jae.

“That’s boring,” Taeil said at last, bringing out another laugh from Taeyong. Jae rolled his eyes, replaying the laugh in his head. 

No.  _ No.  _ In his head should be an escape plan. Not pretty boy’s pretty laugh. What was wrong with him? 

The door swung open again. “I got the guards!” Sicheng yelled. 

_ Shit.  _

“Time to go,” Taeil muttered. 

Johnny yanked the knife holding Jae in place and pointed to the bar. Jae understood immediately and pulled Taeyong down underneath the bar table, Taeyong swiping the frying pan before he landed beside him. Jae pressed his back against the table and held his breath. 

_ Oh no. No, no, no.  _

He heard several footsteps thunder into the bar, metal clanging to signal that the guards had entered. 

“Where’s Jae?” A voice that sounded too much like the captain demanded. “Where is he?” The footsteps got closer to the table. Jae listened closely, flinching when the guard slammed his fist on top of the table. “Turn this place upside down if you have to. He’s here. I know it.” 

Jungwoo subtly dropped a spoon beside them, causing Jae’s breath to hitch. Jungwoo apologized sweetly to the guards as he bent down to be eye level with Jae and Taeyong. 

Jungwoo pulled on a hidden lever and the floor panels slid open to reveal a secret tunnel. The three of them crawled towards the entrance. 

“Good luck,” Jungwoo said. “Live your dream.”

Taeyong flashed another genuine smile. “Thank you, I will,” he said softly, giving Jungwoo a hug. 

Jungwoo eyed Jae. “You...make sure he sees the lanterns. And good luck on your dream too, Dimples,” He said. 

Jae smiled back. “I owe you, Woo.” He slid down into the tunnel, offering his hand to Taeyong. 

Taeyong took Jae’s hand, and Jae felt all the bones as Taeyong gripped his hand before sliding into the tunnel too. 

“Don’t call me that,” Jungwoo called softly after them, sealing the floor panels once again. 

Jae unhooked a torch from the wall, holding it out in front of them to see. 

“So,” he began after a while. His heart had finally calmed down. “We’re safe now. I didn’t know you had that in you back there.” 

“I  _ know _ !” Taeyong giggled before stopping himself. “I mean, I know.” Jae glanced over amused. Taeyong caught it and smiled. “So, Jae. What’s your story?” 

“No, no, no,” Jae said, waving a finger. “Sorry, Blondie, but I don’t do backstories. However, I’m far more interested in yours. So tell me,” Jae began. “I know I can’t mention the mother.” 

“Nope,” Taeyong confirmed. 

“Or the tower.”

“No.” 

“I don’t even want to ask about the frog.” 

“He’s a chameleon, and he understands you.” 

_ Fuck off,  _ Hyuck snarled. 

“I understand him too,” he said dismissively. “What I’m curious about is, if you wanted to see the lanterns so badly, why didn’t you?” 

Taeyong blinked, chuckling softly to Hyuck. “Well...” 

The rocks beneath their feet began to tremble, dust falling from off the cave. Thunder seemed to follow them from inside of the cave. 

“Jae?” Taeyong asked, worry written all over his face. 

The Guard rounded the corner. “Jung Jae, stop!” 

“Shit,” Jae swore. Taeyong had already gathered most of his hair into his arms, and Jae grabbed the rest. “Run!” He shouted. 

They took off, following the curves of the tunnel. Jae had no idea where this tunnel would spit them out, but he had no other choice. They pushed on. 

Finally, they saw daylight ahead, and they sprinted towards it. 

Only to come to a screeching halt at the edge of a cliff overlooking a dry field, shaded by a wooden dam that was allowing for some water to be trickled down into mills and pipes. 

“What’s the plan?” Taeyong asked, looking down into the valley. 

Jae scanned the floor of the dry field, eyes settling on another cave opposite the cliff they were on. “There,” he pointed. They could at least hide in there until the guards left. 

“Jae!” 

They whirled around. The first line of the guards were approaching the end of the tunnel. 

“Uh, who’s that?” Taeyong winced. 

“They don’t like me,” Jae said. 

Below them, two men burst out of a sealed cave, knives drawn and glaring up at them. Conveniently, right beside the same one they were trying to get to. Jae glanced over at them. The twins had escaped. Shit.  _ Shit.  _

“Who’s that?” Taeyong asked, pointing down at them. 

“They don’t like me either.” 

And right in front of them, that damned white horse showed up, as if to just mock Jae. 

“Who’s  _ that _ ?” 

“Let’s just assume for the moment that everyone here doesn’t like me,” Jae said, frantically looking around for anything that would help them get away. 

“Here.” Taeyong shoved the frying pan into Jae’s hands, running to the edge of the cliff. Jae watched as Taeyong spun a length of his hair a few times before sending it flying towards a piece of wood jutting out of a mill. The hair wrapped around it several times and Taeyong pulled one last time before he jumped, the rest of his hair flapping in the wind. He swung over the valley floor, landing smoothly on a cliffside some distance away. 

“Wow,” Jae whispered, mouth open. That was attractive.  _ Wait, what?  _

“I’ve waited a long time for this.” A voice made Jae turn back around. The Captain of the Guard tossed aside his torch with a grim smile and drew his sword. 

Jae stared with wide eyes, realizing that all he had on him was the damned frying pan. 

The Guard shot forward. 

Alright, the frying pan would have to do. 

Jae lifted the pan the same time the Captain brought down his sword. They met with a loud clang and Jae didn’t stop. 

He knocked the sword away and swung hard, connecting his pan with the captain’s head. 

Another guard swiped at Jae’s head and he ducked, feeling the blade swing over. Jae shot back up, bringing the pan up with him and getting the guard under his chin. The guard stumbled away with a grunt, eventually falling over and staying down. 

Jae dove as another shot his sword towards Jae’s abdomen. He felt it narrowly miss his side. Jae snapped back up to his feet and swung the pan just as the guard whirled around. 

His heart was pounding and all he could keep track of was the sword’s movement, but Jae ducked another swing at his head, gripping the frying pan. He twisted around, his pan and the sword clanging once more. Jae moved before the guard regained his footing, slamming the pan at the guard’s head. 

The guard fell, and Jae was left standing, still holding the pan in his hands. He did that. He knocked out four guards with a  _ frying pan.  _ He couldn’t wait for that story to circulate through the world. “Huh,” he breathed. “I should invest in one of these,” he said to himself, examining the cast iron skillet. 

He heard the sound of another sword being drawn. Jae turned with new confidence in his pan fighting abilities. “Aha!” He could handle it. He was ready. 

Instead of hearing a man’s voice, all he heard was a very angry neighing. 

_ Let’s go, Dimples.  _

Jae’s confidence faltered as the white horse from earlier readjusted the knife in its mouth and lunged forward. 

Jae was doing all he could to block the hits, swinging the pan almost wildly. The horse was relentless.  _ What the fuck is wrong with this horse,  _ Jae wondered, nearly tripping over one of the fallen guards. 

Knife and pan clanged over and over again, and Jae was running out of room to back up. 

It dawned on him that he was fighting a horse who had a knife while he had a fucking frying pan. Oh, this day was definitely one of the weirdest days he’s ever had. 

Jae ducked once more, keeping an eye on how close he was getting to the edge. “This is the strangest thing I have ever done,” Jae got out between each swing. 

The horse grunted, lunged forward one last time, and somehow  _ twisted the pan from his hands.  _

Jae watched it helplessly clatter to the valley dozens of feet below them. 

“Seriously, what is your problem?” He asked. 

The horse lifted the knife in answer, pointing it at Jae’s neck. Jae held his hands up in surrender, getting ready to talk to the horse to let him go. He was getting desperate. 

“Jae!” Something soft and blonde wrapped around Jae’s hand and he recognized it as Taeyong’s hair. He felt Taeyong pull, and with a salute to the horse, Jae stepped off the cliff. Later, Jae would blame the blind trust in Taeyong on adrenaline, but that was something he would wrestle with some other time. 

Jae gripped the hair with both hands, the world blurring as he swung down through the valley. His stomach lurched at the free fall. 

“Jae, look out!” Taeyong called in warning. 

Jae twisted himself around. The twins were waiting for him, knives lifted high enough in the air that they would be able to reach him. 

“Blondie, higher!” Jae shouted. He could see the twins’ wicked smiles as they stalked closer. Jae was helpless as he continued to swing directly into their path. “Up, up,  _ up _ !” 

He guessed that Taeyong must have done something because somehow, Jae tucked his legs as close as he could to his chest and the twins swung at nothing but air. 

When he twisted back around again, he was still swinging and still intact. “Ha!” He shouted. “Fuck off you pieces of--” his feet stumbled over themselves as he crash landed on a landing on top of some pipes leading down from the mill, “--shit.” He groaned, forcing himself back onto his feet. Whatever injuries he was getting now would have to be examined later. 

A loud thud echoed across the valley. Jae looked back. The horse was kicking down a long beam, sending it falling over to create a narrow bridge between the two landings. Taeyong was on the other side. 

_ Think.  _

Jae glanced down at the hair still in his hands and followed to where it was still wrapped around the wood that was jutted out of the side of the cliff. He wrapped it around his hands and held on tightly, hoping to whatever was listening that his plan would work. “Blondie, jump!” He shouted just as the horse crossed the beam. 

Taeyong didn’t even hesitate to sprint to the edge of the landing and jump. Jae was watching it happen in slow motion. 

Taeyong’s feet left the platform as the horse’s mouth closed around nothing. And then Taeyong was falling, huge doe eyes focused on where he was landing. He skidded over the shallow puddles of water and pulled the rest of his hair with him. 

After making sure Taeyong was on solid ground, Jae leapt onto the pipes carrying the water from the dam to the mills. His boots slipped over the water and Jae threw his arms out to keep balance. The whole structure tumbled beneath him, shaking as he jumped down to another set of pipes. He heard wood snapping and water splashing behind him, and the feeling of the pipes falling apart where he stepped confirmed his worst thought. 

The dam was breaking. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell about this au on twitter with me! @nomoreeggstofry // https://twitter.com/nomoreeggstofry


	8. Taeyong

Taeyong scooped up as much hair as he could into his arms and bolted towards the cave. 

_ Hurry, hurry, they’re right behind you,  _ Hyuck squeaked into his ear. 

Whoever those big scary men were, Taeyong didn’t want to get anywhere near them. He heard Jae grunt behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see Jae pick up the rest of his hair and sprinting close by. Behind him... 

_ Don’t look back! Don’t stop!  _

It was because of Hyuck’s squeaks that Taeyong pushed forward, trying very hard to ignore the roar of water that was released from the dam. 

_ Almost there.  _

Taeyong was also trying very hard to ignore the shadow that was fast approaching them as well. The water had enough force to push down a large weathered away stone. Taeyong didn’t know what would happen once it landed. It might very well crush the cave they were trying to get to. 

_ Come on, come on, come on,  _ Hyuck chirped. 

Taeyong hurtled into the cave, running in as deep as he could go. Sunlight disappeared as the stone enclosed the cave, blocking their way back out. On the other end was a pile of stones. Taeyong’s heart sank when he realized that they were shut in. Water lapped at his feet and when he looked over, his breath hitched at the sight of water flooding into the cave. 

Jae was breathing hard next to him, eyes wide as he too began to understand the situation. Without a word, he passed Taeyong the frying pan and sucked in a breath before diving into the black, cold water. 

Taeyong tried wedging the handle of the pan in between the rocks, trying anything to get some of them loose. But the rocks were too slippery already. The pan uselessly slid over the rocks. 

Jae surfaced again just to take in another breath before he disappeared below. Taeyong had never seen him so worried like he was now, and that scared him so much. Jae was this unafraid, charismatic, ‘knows his way around every situation’ type of guy to Taeyong, and seeing Jae desperate left something painful inside of him. 

Jae surfaced again, sucking in air. He tried shoving his shoulder into the rocks, pushing against them in a feeble attempt to get some of them to move. Taeyong pressed himself against the back, giving Jae room to try. He winced as Jae’s hand slid over a slippery end, cutting into his skin. 

The water reached Taeyong’s waist now. 

_ No, no, no,  _ this was  _ not  _ happening. This was-- 

Taeyong sucked in a breath and plunged into the water himself, only to be met with darkness and cold. Faintly, he wondered if death would feel like that. Dark, freezing, alone. 

Hands grabbed him and he felt himself being pulled back up to the surface. 

“It’s no use!” Jae was saying. Taeyong could barely hear over his heart ramming against his chest. “It’s too dark down there,” he said firmly, pushing aside some of Taeyong’s wet hair. 

Taeyong had nothing to say to that. He was still gasping for air, half from holding his breath under water, half from hyperventilating. He leaned back against the rocks and Jae did the same, staring into the dark waters. 

Taeyong swallowed. “This is...this is all my fault,” he finally said, rubbing at his eyes. “She was right, I shouldn’t have left. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this. I shouldn’t have--” 

He was crying. It didn’t matter, they were going to die here anyway. 

Taeyong took in a shuddering breath, wrapping his arms around himself as the water reached his chest. 

“I’m so...I’m so sorry, Jae,” he sobbed. 

He was so stupid. Why did he think that he could take a three day trip? All for some stupid lanterns that he could have just watched from his window? Like he always had? All that talk of dreams and following them no matter what spun around his head, and Taeyong was starting to sob even harder. What a waste this all was. He barely made it one whole day away from the tower. And Jae. He lied to Jae about his satchel. It wasn’t even Taeyong’s to begin with, so why did he even  _ try.  _ Now, he’s the reason Jae was going to die in this fucking cave. All because Taeyong was being  _ selfish  _ and— 

“Actually, it’s Jaehyun,” Jae said softly. 

Taeyong sniffled. “What?”

“My name. It’s not Jae. It’s Jung Jaehyun.” He paused, looking at the water that touched his sharp chin. “Someone might as well know.” 

Taeyong allowed himself to smile. Jaehyun suited him better anyway. He rubbed at his nose. “I have magic hair that glows when I sing,” he offered in return. 

“Wait, what?” 

It hit him like a planet rammed into him. “I have  _ magic hair that glows when I sing! _ ” He repeated, eyes widening. 

The water was up to their mouths now. Taeyong and Jae tilted their heads back, searching for one last gulp of air. 

“Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine.” Taeyong sucked in a breath and then they were under. 

For a terrible moment, it was still dark, and Taeyong was worried that he hadn’t sung it right. 

But then, starting from the roots of his scalp, his long hair began to glow brightly. 

Bubbles floated where Jae—Jaehyun—had gasped. Taeyong took the time to look for a loose rock. There had to be one. It was their only way out. 

He followed the length of his hair, spotting several smaller stones blocking what seemed to be a small hole. He and Jaehyun exchanged a look before swimming towards it. This was their one chance. 

Jaehyun grabbed a rock and pulled, and miraculously, it tumbled away. Taeyong joined him, his lungs beginning to feel constricted. Slowly, they began pulling away at the smaller rocks, using the glow from his hair as their light source. 

Jaehyun pushed one last time, and all the rocks gave way. Taeyong felt himself tumbling through the hole as the water pushed them out. He felt his stomach lurch and a blast of fresh air before he splashed back into water. 

Taeyong felt like he was spinning around in the water for hours, but finally,  _ finally,  _ he surged upward, air hitting him in the face. It never felt that good to breathe.

Beside him, Jaehyun shot up too. They laid on the banks of the river, panting and exhausted. Hyuck rolled off the frying pan and wiggled on his feet, squeaking out the water from his throat. 

_ How the fuck are we alive.  _

“I can’t...I can’t believe we...we did that!” Taeyong gasped. 

“Your hair glows,” Jaehyun wheezed. 

“We’re alive!” 

“His hair  _ glows. _ ” Jaehyun rubbed his eyes. 

“Jaehyun,” Taeyong called, busy pulling all his hair back onto land. 

“Why does it do that?” He asked Hyuck. “ _ How _ does it do that?” 

“Jaehyun!” 

“What?” 

Taeyong dragged the last of it from the water. “It doesn’t just glow.” 

Hyuck chirped next to Jaehyun.  _ Oh, you’re going to lose your mind, Dimples.  _

“Why is he staring at me?” 

Taeyong busied himself with surveying the area they landed at. “Why don’t we make camp under that tree for the night?” He suggested. 

Jaehyun blinked a few times, eyes running up and down his hair. “Yeah, yeah, sounds good.” 

An hour later, they had a small fire in the center. Taeyong had kicked some logs closer to the pile of dead leaves and twigs they used as kindle, and that’s where they sat. 

Taeyong was focused on wrapping his hair around Jaehyun’s wound on the palm of his hand. By now, the cut had swollen to a thin scratch but it was far from healed. Taeyong insisted anyway. He was still feeling guilty about getting them stuck in that cave. 

“So,” Jaehyun began, breaking Taeyong’s concentration. “I’ve been keeping a list of all the strange things that have happened to me today, and you wrapping your hair around my injured hand is the latest addition.” 

Taeyong clenched his jaw, giving his hair one last tug, eliciting a wince from Jaehyun. 

“Sorry,” he said slowly. “I’m going to do something, okay? But you can’t freak out. Promise me.” Taeyong felt like he was speaking to a child, but he had to be sure. 

Jaehyun tilted his head, looking between his wrapped hand and Taeyong’s pleading eyes. “Okay, I promise,” he relented. 

Taeyong took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, gently holding Jaehyun’s hand. Quietly, he began to sing. 

_ Flower gleam and glow,  _

_ Let your power shine,  _

_ Make the clock reverse,  _

_ Bring back what once was mine.  _

_ Heal what has been hurt,  _

_ Change the fate’s design,  _

_ Save what has been lost,  _

_ Bring back what once was mine.  _

Taeyong didn’t have to open his eyes to know that his hair was glowing again, the bright yellow shine wrapping itself around Jaehyun’s hand that was so tensed in his own. 

When he finished, he dropped Jaehyun’s hand, waiting for a response. 

Jaehyun, with trembling fingers and darting eyes, removed the hair and stared, and stared, at the center of his palm. 

“Um...” He turned his hand over to show Taeyong and even Hyuck, who was warming himself by the fire. “Um, your--” 

“No freak outs,” Taeyong reminded with a wince. Jaehyun looked seconds away from screaming. 

Jaehyun, instead, opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. “No, no,” he said, finally, tucking both of his hands under his legs. “No freak outs. I’m just very curious about your hair and the magical qualities it possesses, how long has it been doing that, exactly?” 

Taeyong laughed softly. “Forever, I guess?” He looked down at his own hands. “Mother told me that people out there would try to cut it. Steal it or try to use its powers for themselves. But,” Taeyong pushed his hair to the side close to the nape of his neck, revealing one small strand of dark brown hair, hidden by the lengths of the gold. “Once it’s cut, it turns brown and loses its powers.” 

He turned towards the fire, watching sparks fly away from their dwindling pile of kindle. “It’s a gift,” Taeyong continued in a softer tone. “Something like that should be protected. It’s why Mother never let me—” He paused, the words dying on his lips. “It’s why I never—” Was his hair even a gift? They nearly died today, and the problem could easily be stemmed back to his hair. Did that make Taeyong the problem? 

“That’s why you never left the tower,” Jaehyun finished for him, and Taeyong was glad that he understood without Taeyong having to say it himself. “And you’re going to go back after all that?” 

“No!” Taeyong said immediately. Thoughts about his hair and who he was as a person stormed back into his head, and Taeyong sucked on his lip. “Yes?” But could he bring himself to go back to the tower? No matter what had happened, today was the most experience he had in all his twenty year old life, and he was never going to get it in his room 70 feet in the air. 

Taeyong groaned, burying his head into his hands. “I don’t know,” He admitted. “Everything is so complicated and I feel like I’m drowning all over again.” He wished he could make up his mind. Yes, the lanterns were his dream, and he was determined to see them. But what happens after? Would he only see them once and spend the rest of his life watching them from the window again? And what would happen to Jaehyun? He was the first person Taeyong spoke to besides Mother, and he was…fun. Jaehyun was really fun to talk to. He was funny, and very helpful, and most importantly, he hadn’t left Taeyong. 

Taeyong couldn’t quite understand that. It was his fault that they nearly drowned in that cave. Without him, Jaehyun would have been anywhere else. And despite that, Taeyong revealed his power, his secret, to him, and Jaehyun hadn’t even tried to attack him. He was still here, sitting next to Taeyong, listening to everything he was pouring out. That had to mean something, right?

The silence stretched between them for far too long. Taeyong peeked between his fingers and found Jaehyun staring at him. Quickly, he straightened and cleared his throat. “So,” He began casually. “Jung Jaehyun, huh?” 

The other boy blinked and chuckled. Taeyong thought it was a genuine one, not one of the many haughty ones he’d been letting out all day. “Yeah, Jung Jaehyun. I’ll save you the sob story of little orphan Jaehyun.” 

Taeyong only scooted closer, leaning in with his chin propped on his fist. 

Jaehyun smiled warmly at the movement. Taeyong noticed the deep dimples appearing on his face and held back the urge to poke them. “I did warn you, it’s a sob story.” 

“Go on,” Taeyong encouraged. 

The dimples deepened as he leaned back on his hands and looked into the fire. “There was this book.  _ The Incredible Adventures of Jae.  _ I used to read it to the other kids every night. Swashbuckling pirate, super secret spy, a charismatic gentleman, he could be anything you wanted.” 

“Was he a thief too?” Taeyong asked with a small laugh. He watched the smile fade from Jaehyun’s face, slowly being replaced with a look akin to sadness. Hyuck was on top of Jaehyun’s head, and he turned a deep shade of blue. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked that, but it was already hanging in the air between them. 

“Well,” Jaehyun hesitated. “No. He had everything he wanted, he never had to steal. But, as a kid with nothing, I--” He paused looking for the right words. “I don’t know. It just seemed like the better option.” 

Taeyong knew a thing or two about the  _ better option _ . He was wrestling with it himself. 

“Listen, you can’t tell anyone about this,” Jaehyun added with his usual glint of mischief. “It could ruin my reputation.” 

Taeyong smiled slyly at him. “Your reputation?” 

Jaehyun nodded. “The best criminal in the whole world. Can’t have that tainted.” 

“Oh, no, we definitely can’t let that happen,” He giggled. 

“All a man has is his reputation, right,” Jaehyun winked and Taeyong giggled again. 

“Of course, of course.” He busied his twitching hands with smoothing out his hair. When he looked back up, he found Jaehyun staring at him again, but with a warm smile, dimples and all. 

Taeyong returned it without a second thought. 

“Right, well,” Jaehyun cleared his throat. “I’m going to go find more firewood.” 

Taeyong tore his gaze away. “Yeah, sounds good.” He watched as Jaehyun stood up and carefully stepped over Taeyong’s hair sprawled out around their camp. “For the record,” He called before Jaehyun disappeared into the nearby woods, “I think Jaehyun suits you way more than Jae.” 

Jaehyun’s mouth opened slightly. He pressed his thumb into his now healed hand and tilted his head towards Taeyong. “You would be the first. Thank you.” 

He turned away fast, but not before Taeyong caught a glimpse of his red ears. 

Hyuck clambered up onto the log left vacant by Jaehyun.  _ Oh, you’re in love.  _

Taeyong scoffed. “What? No, of course not.” 

_ You’re in so deep.  _

“Don’t give me that look.” 

_ Taeyong and Jaehyun are so in love.  _ Hyuck had the audacity to turn red. 

“I am not in _love_ with him!” Taeyong protested, but he was laughing too. Maybe something was there.

“Good.” 

Taeyong gasped and whirled around, Hyuck hopping back onto his shoulder with a squeak. He squinted in the darkness following the voice and found… 

“ _ Mother _ ?” 

“Hello, dear!” Mother chirped, enveloping Taeyong into a tight hug. 

“I don’t… I don’t understand, how did you find me?” He asked, feeling sick. 

“Easy, dear. I just followed the scent of betrayal and disobedience.” 

Taeyong winced. 

“We’re going home, Taeyong. Now.” Mother gripped his wrist and tugged him along, but Taeyong pulled back. 

“No, you don’t understand, Mother. Today has been incredible, and I’ve learned so much about the world, and I…I even met someone.” 

“Yes, you met the wanted criminal, I’m so proud of you,” Mother said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Let’s go.” She pulled again. 

“Mother,  _ wait. _ ” Taeyong pulled his hand out of her grip this time. “I can’t just leave.” He paused. “I think…I think he likes me.” 

Mother spun around. “He  _ likes  _ you? That’s ridiculous.” 

“But I--” 

“ _ This  _ is why you never should have left. You create these…these  _ fantasies,  _ and you think it’s all well and good, but it’s not.” 

Taeyong clenched his fists. He didn’t think today was a fantasy. He was sure Jaehyun felt the same way. Why else would he still be around? 

Mother continued. “Why would he be interested in you? Look at you.” Mother lifted the tangled strands of his hair. “You’re a mess.” His hair fell limp around him and Mother picked up her lantern again. “Stop acting foolish, and let’s  _ go _ .” 

“No.” Taeyong was resolute. He nearly died earlier, he wasn’t going back to the tower. Not after everything that had happened to him today. 

“No?” Mother sounded amused, and Taeyong’s resolve was slowly crumbling. “Oh, I see. Taeyong is all grown up now. He’s so mature, and he understands everything, is that it?” 

“No, it’s not like that--” Taeyong tried. 

“Give him this, Taeyong.” Mother tossed him something brown and it hit Taeyong in the chest. 

His heart lurched. “Where did you get this?” He asked, gripping Jaehyun’s satchel. 

“The crown. He’s only following you around because  _ that  _ is all he wants,” Mother accused. 

“No, he--” 

“Then give it to him,” Mother snarled. “Give it to him and watch him leave right in front of you.” 

“I will,” Taeyong said through gritted teeth. 

“If he’s lying, don’t come back to me with your tears. Remember this moment, Taeyong.” 

In a moment, Mother picked up the lantern and disappeared into the woods, leaving behind Taeyong gripping the satchel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. 

She was wrong. She had to be wrong. He and Jaehyun were in this together, right? Jaehyun wouldn’t just leave the second he got the crown back. Taeyong didn’t want to believe it. He wanted there to be something between them, and he was so  _ sure  _ of it. 

_ Jaehyun would have left already, idiot,  _ He reminded himself.  _ He wouldn’t have told you everything he did if he was just going to leave like that.  _

Somehow, he wasn’t completely convinced. 

“Hey, Blondie, do you think I could get superpowers with your magical hair?” Jaehyun’s voice floated back towards the camp. 

Taeyong hurried to hide the satchel behind a fallen log and straightened as Jaehyun returned, carrying more twigs and branches for their fire. “You’re back,” He said a little weakly. 

Jaehyun paused to look at him. He looked worried. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

Taeyong laughed, maybe a bit too loud for it to be normal. “I’m fine, really. Just tired.” 

Jaehyun gave him one more look before shrugging and tossing the wood into the fire. “So, superpowers. You think I can get some?” 


	9. Jaehyun

It was easily the strangest day for Jaehyun, no doubt. From successfully stealing the crown, to being tied up in hair, to nearly drowning, all the way to seeing said hair heal his wound. 

But maybe, as one final  _ fuck you _ from the universe, the strangest thing to happen to him was lying down next to a boy with seventy feet of hair, the biggest, prettiest, eyes, and the most unrelenting spirit. 

Taeyong had curled up and fallen asleep about an hour ago, Hyuck cuddled under his pointy chin. Jaehyun studied the way Taeyong’s lashes cast a shadow over his high cheekbones. His small lips pouted as he breathed steadily, curling around himself a little more when a breeze brushed by. 

Jaehyun sighed and rolled back over, facing the sky. What was with him? He’s met plenty of people in the past, gotten into bed with more that he couldn’t even remember. He was even set to marry the daughter of a kingpin from another land before he ran away the night before the wedding. 

But Taeyong...Taeyong was  _ different.  _ A good different, for sure. That was the one thing Jaehyun did understand. He liked being in Taeyong’s company. He liked having Taeyong beside him. And he had this strangely strong desire to keep him safe. 

Taeyong himself carried so much within himself that Jaehyun would think about his hair last. 

He didn’t know what he was going to do after they went back to the tower. Honestly, he didn’t want to think about it. It was him who said they could split ways, but now he wasn’t so sure that was what he wanted. 

He peered up into the sky, trailing a shooting star as it streaked across the sky. 

He smiled to himself. Maybe it was time to dream a new dream. He glanced over at Taeyong once more before shutting his eyes and drifting off to sleep. 

Jaehyun woke to something wet dripping on his cheek. He frowned, squinting as he struggled to open his eyes. Two days in a row now did he wake up to strange things. If this was going to be a regular thing, he was not amused. 

_ Dimples,  _ The horse seemed to snarl. 

He eyed the white horse leaning over him, literally sweating from whatever run he was on before he got to the camp. “No, like,  _ seriously _ what is your problem?” 

The next thing he knew was his leg being dragged. And then  _ he  _ was being dragged. 

“Hey!  _ Hey, _ ” He grunted, grabbing at anything he could. He was ripping out grass and dirt, but the horse kept pulling on his shoe. “Let me  _ go! _ ” 

“Jaehyun!” 

Hands grabbed onto his wrists and pulled in the opposite direction. Jaehyun thought his body was going to tear into two. 

Taeyong grunted as he pulled even harder, trying to get the horse to let go. “Give me him,” He strained, digging his heels into the ground. 

Jaehyun felt his shoe loosen off his foot, and before he could call out a warning, he toppled over Taeyong, sending them all crashing in opposite directions. He rolled over and saw the horse spit out his shoe and pressed himself up against the tree. This horse was going to kill him. 

The horse charged at him again, but blonde hair stood between him and the beast raging towards him. “Hey! Easy,” Taeyong was saying. “Look at me. No, not at him, look at  _ me. _ ” Taeyong was coaxing the horse, finally getting it to calm down. 

_ Who are you?  _ The horse looked Taeyong up and down, but at least he stopped charging. 

Jaehyun couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Taeyong calmed down  _ that  _ demon? The same horse that had been chasing him for the past two days? Maybe the hair did give him some sort of powers. 

“There we go,” Taeyong said softly once the horse had focused in on him. “That’s it.” 

Above Taeyong’s head sat Hyuck, who was at least giving the horse a dirty look. Jaehyun would have to give him some grapes later. 

_ Sit the fuck down, big guy,  _ Hyuck softly chirped. 

_ Big guy?  _ The horse neighed. 

_ Yeah. Tall ass, ginormous monster, whatever. Sit.  _

Oh, Jaehyun was  _ definitely  _ going to get him some grapes. 

“Sit,” Taeyong commanded, pointing downwards. The horse grunted, lowering itself but not sitting all the way. “Come on,” He prompted, “sit.” 

To Jaehyun’s amazement, the horse plopped down. “Are you shitting me,” He asked from his position by the tree. 

“Good!” Taeyong exclaimed, ignoring him. “Now drop the boot.” 

The horse hesitated.  _ No way. I’m not— _

“Drop it,” Taeyong repeated. 

_ Fine.  _ The boot fell to the ground. 

“What is going on?” Jaehyun wondered, for he’d only known that horse to be his greatest enemy thus far. The most annoying one too. 

“Aw, aren’t you the cutest thing,” Taeyong cooed, rubbing the horse’s head. “What a good boy you are!” 

“Wait, what?” Jaehyun was still trying to understand what he was seeing. 

“Are you tired from chasing this bad man all over the place?” Taeyong was  _ pouting  _ like a child, lips sticking out far too much to be normal. 

_ I’m exhausted,  _ The horse nodded. 

“Hello?” Jaehyun called. He was ignored. Again. 

“No one appreciates you, do they?” Taeyong said, hugging him. 

_ No one ever does,  _ The horse moaned. 

“What’s your name, you baby?” 

The horse straightened, showing off the emblem on the front of his chest. Taeyong read it aloud. “Mark?” 

_ That’s me!  _

“Come  _ on _ ,” Jaehyun groaned, sliding down the tree trunk. “He’s a bad horse!” 

“Oh, Mark’s precious!” Taeyong said, running his hands through Mark’s head. “He’s nothing but a big pile of sweets, isn’t that right, Mark?” 

_ I am a pile of sweets, yes.  _

“You’re joking,” Jaehyun grumbled. So maybe he was a little mad that Taeyong had gotten this horse--Mark--to obey anyone, but a part of him knew that he was upset that the horse was getting Taeyong’s affection. 

_ What did you say?  _ Mark grunted suddenly, and Jaehyun flinched back. 

“Listen,” Taeyong began before the two could fight, “today is kind of a pretty big day for me, so I would really appreciate it if you didn’t get him arrested.” Taeyong hauled Jaehyun back to his feet and pulled him to Mark. 

_ Not get him arrested? Absolutely not.  _

“Just for today!” Taeyong added. “And then you can run after him all you want, and  _ you _ ,” He poked Jaehyun hard in the chest, “you can go back to climbing whatever towers you find. Okay?” 

Jaehyun was melting in his eyes. Taeyong’s huge eyes were pleading, borderline begging him to agree to these terms. That wasn’t fair for him. It probably wasn’t even healthy. 

“Jaehyun?” 

He was pouting  _ again.  _ What was Jaehyun going to do? Say no? 

With a heavy sigh, he held out his hand. 

_ No. I’m not working with him.  _ Mark said, huffing a breath. 

“It’s also my birthday,” Taeyong added. “Just so you know.” The big eyes and pouting lips were turned towards Mark now, and Jaehyun felt like he could breathe again. 

Mark seemed to deliberate in his mind for a while, but he, too, succumbed into the Taeyong Look, as Jaehyun was going to call it. Mark held out a hoof and Jaehyun shook, barely looking Mark in the eye. What had his life gone to? 

Bells began to chime from up ahead, breaking Taeyong’s grin. He pushed past them, already entranced by the sound of the town’s bells. 

Jaehyun watched him go, wonder drawn all over his face, and thought about how Taeyong would react to the rest of the town. He’d stare at everything doe eyed, never getting enough of the place. He’d find something new and interesting at every corner and he’d show Jaehyun, and-- 

Mark’s hoof rammed into his abdomen and Jaehyun bit back a shout. 

_ Serves you right,  _ Mark snorted as he trotted after Taeyong. Jaehyun rubbed at his sides and followed them into the town. 

Taeyong was  _ elated.  _ Jaehyun could see every bounce in his step, every little skip he did as he waltzed over the bridge leading into the heart of the kingdom. In his excitement, he missed a new looking wanted poster for Jae. Jaehyun quickly ripped it off the post and crumpled it up. 

_ I saw that _ . Mark huffed. 

“No, you didn’t.’ Jaehyun smiled sweetly before shoving the paper into Mark’s mouth. Mark promptly spat it back out onto Jaehyun’s face, laughing. Oh, Jaehyun was going to  _ fight  _ this horse. He lifted his fist as Mark bit down on his shoe again. 

_ Hey!  _ Hyuck chirped from on top of an aware Taeyong.  _ Quit it, you children.  _

They both stepped away. Jaehyun  _ really _ wondered just what his life had come to. 

Taeyong wasn’t stopping. He stood at the entry archway, watching with an open mouth. The town had been decorated with purple banners of the golden sun strung from every rooftop. Flowers of all colors were on display from the balconies, and street vendors were calling out to potential customers perusing the marketplace below. 

Jaehyun noticed, with a wince, that some people were walking over Taeyong’s long hair that was trailing behind him. He was having a hard time walking anywhere, bumping into strangers with mumbled apologies and tilting backwards every time someone stood over it. Jaehyun quickly gathered as much of it as he could, Taeyong doing the same. 

“We have to do something about your hair,” He told Taeyong, looking around for a hat or something to make the boy a little less obvious. He caught sight of a set of triplets, braiding their own hair by the fountain and had an idea. He whistled towards them, and held up all of Taeyong’s hair, watching their surprised faces turn into excitement. 

Taeyong sat down some ways away and let the children work their magic on his hair, answering their questions with a soft tone and gentle eyes. 

Jaehyun watched him sniff a bunch of roses one of the girls had given him. A wide smile appeared on Taeyong’s face. He plucked out one rose and tucked it behind the girl’s ear. 

“How is he like that?” He wondered. 

_ You’re in love with him?  _ Mark neighed noisily and Jaehyun realized that he said that out loud. 

“What? No. He has my things, that’s all,” he said, instead. 

Hyuck hopped onto Mark’s head.  _ Taeyong likes you too, for some reason.  _

“Wait, really?” 

Jaehyun didn’t get to question the frog’s statement. 

“Jaehyun, look!” Taeyong spun around, his whole head of hair neatly braided and decorated with dozens of flowers hung by his feet. 

“You look...” 

_ Amazing?  _

_ Beautiful?  _

_ Gorgeous?  _

Jaehyun shoved Mark away, ignoring the pests. “You look good,” he settled on. 

“Come on, come on, let’s go!” Taeyong grabbed Jaehyun’s wrist and pulled him alone deeper into the town. 

They never stayed in one booth for very long. Taeyong would see something new and then they were off again. 

“Jaehyun, let’s get our picture done!” Taeyong pointed excitedly at an old man painting a couple who were posing. 

“Blondie, my face is plastered all over this city,” Jaehyun reminded. 

“None of them even look like you.” 

Jaehyun blinked. “You’ve noticed?” 

Taeyong rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’re way cuter in person. Let’s go!” 

Jaehyun didn’t have time to say anything else before he was plopped down in a chair in front of an easel, Taeyong grabbing another bouquet of flowers. 

“Scoot.”

Jaehyun looked down at the chair he was sitting in. “Scoot where?” 

“Your hands.” 

“My hands?” 

Taeyong wrapped his arms around Jaehyun as he took his seat on Jaehyun’s lap. 

Jaehyun choked on air, his hands automatically finding themselves on Taeyong’s hips, making sure he didn’t fall off. If Taeyong noticed how red Jaehyun’s ears had become, he didn’t show it. He was busy smelling the flowers anyway. 

Jaehyun didn’t know for how long they were sitting there for. He was only thankful that the artist had his booth set up some ways apart from the main road. He was fully aware of how his hands remained holding onto Taeyong the whole time. What was happening to him? 

He was busy staring at them when Taeyong called him over. “Look!” 

The man had finished the drawing, and while Taeyong was gushing over the flowers he’d made Jaehyun smell, all Jaehyun could see how red the artist made his ears. 

Taeyong hugged the drawing close to his chest, thanking and praising the old man all in the same breath. Jaehyun had just paid the man some spare change he’d found while Taeyong was getting his hair done, when Taeyong yanked him to another booth. 

One by one, they stopped by vendors, Taeyong being over the moon excited over the smallest things. Jaehyun found it endearing. Part of him felt terrible that Taeyong had gone twenty years without seeing any of this, but the boy’s face-cracking grin was enough. 

Jaehyun bought a small purple flag, some bread and cheese, and a sack of apples to keep Mark quiet. Every time he ducked to avoid guards patrolling the city, Mark would stare intensely at him, making Jaehyun very uncomfortable. 

“Jaehyun, look at that!” Taeyong gripped his arm and excitedly pointed at some sweet bread in the shape of different animals. He skipped up to the vendor and Jaehyun found himself smiling. Taeyong was just like a  _ kid.  _ He took everything in with wide eye wonder, and he never stopped running. Jaehyun wanted to see that sort of energy in him for a long time. 

“Do you have any chameleons?” Taeyong was asking the baker when he approached. Jaehyun peered over his shoulder, looking at the various shapes and flavors. They’d need to find more money at this rate. Not that he was complaining. He’d be willing to steal (he meant buy, don’t tell Mark) the whole market for Taeyong. 

A green frog somehow landed on his shoulder, and it took every part of Jaehyun to not jerk away. “You’ve got to stop with the sneaking, Godzilla,” he whispered to Hyuck. 

Hyuck squeaked loudly, gesturing towards Mark who was standing by a pile of hay casted aside. 

_ Guards! They’re coming your way!  _

Jaehyun frowned, looking behind him. Sure enough four guards, patrol maybe, came strolling down the road, headed right where Jaehyun was standing. 

“Shit,” he muttered, turning back around. He looked back at Taeyong, pointing out and laughing with the baker at the whale shaped bread. 

He didn’t have any other ideas. And in his defense, Taeyong already made the first move. Slowly, keeping his head low, he slid his hand around Taeyong’s waist, tugging him close to his side. 

“Woah,” Taeyong murmured, steadying himself. He turned his head to say something to Jaehyun, but they were close enough that their noses brushed. “Hello,” he said politely, looking up at Jaehyun’s eyes. 

Jaehyun hoped he couldn’t see his ears. “Guards,” he said, as if that explained anything. “Which one did you want?” He asked instead. 

Taeyong’s face brightened. “The kind baker is getting me a chameleon one!” 

“You mean frog?” 

Taeyong folded his arms across his chest. “No, I meant chameleon. Hyuck isn’t a frog.” 

Jaehyun pulled him even closer, listening to the guards stomp by the vendor. “Whatever he is,” He said, still quietly, just in case. 

“What’s that?” Taeyong asked, pointing to a mosaic of the royal family on the wall opposite of the stall

“The king, queen, and their missing son,” Jaehyun responded, reaching for the change needed to pay the baker. The poor baker was holding out the bread for Taeyong, but he was too busy staring at the mosaic, almost drawn by the art work. “Taeyong?” Jaehyun nudged him slightly. 

Taeyong shook his head. “Oh, thank you!” He took the bread and immediately took a bite, groaning at the taste. “You’ve got to try this.” He shoved the other end of the bread into Jaehyun’s mouth, leaving it between his teeth. 

Behind them music started up, and then Taeyong was once again gone. Jaehyun flashed the baker an apologetic smile, the bread still in his mouth as he paid and left. 

By the time Jaehyun left the stall, Taeyong was busy twirling and spinning, holding the hands of a little boy. Jaehyun watched, warmth filling his body, as Taeyong laughed and spun with the boy. He moved with the music, breaking away enough times to pull in bystanders watching the center. 

Soon, Jaehyun felt like half the town was in the center, all dancing and laughing around Taeyong, and Jaehyun decided that this was where Taeyong belonged. He needed to stay with people, he needed to be out to spread his love, his kindness. The people were lucky to be blessed by his presence. And Jaehyun...well, he wouldn’t admit it, and he’d been ignoring Hyuck and Mark all day, but his thoughts from last night resurfaced. Maybe he was on the path for a new dream. 

Maybe his dream was dancing in front of him, and, oh no, Taeyong extended his arm, grinning so much his eyes disappeared into little slits, prompting Jaehyun to take his hand. 

Jaehyun shook his head firmly. But it was Mark who shoved him into the dance circle. Jaehyun stumbled in, twisting around to give Mark a glare before someone else grabbed his hand and whisked him away. He heard Mark’s laughter as he was spun and spun. 

Their day was spent like that. A whirlwind of activities, things even Jaehyun hadn’t done in a long while. 

Taeyong would drag him to a million different places, and Jaehyun let him. He didn’t mind. Not for Taeyong. They burst in and out of bookstores, pointing out where Jaehyun had been throughout the world in the maps. They ate more sweet bread and pudding. When Jaehyun ran out of money, he would swipe at desert tables, stealing two cupcakes for himself and Taeyong.

He laughed when Taeyong got frosting on his nose and he tried to lick it off. He laughed when Taeyong danced around the fountain, arms out and eyes closed, basking in the sunlight. Jaehyun laughed when Taeyong stood back from his very impressive chalk drawing of the sun on the purple background, patting his purple stained hands on his pants without a second glance. 

Jaehyun was laughing when he somehow got pulled into another dance circle, no doubt created by Taeyong anyway. He was holding a shorter lady and spinning around and around. 

Big eyes caught his, and they nodded, making their way towards each other, before someone else twirled in between them, stealing them away. 

_ Next time,  _ Jaehyun would think and he’d try again and again to get to Taeyong. 

The sun was setting, the music was coming to an end, and finally, Jaehyun and Taeyong spun around into each other’s arms. Jaehyun noted how perfect they fit like that. 

And for a moment, he didn’t do anything but hold Taeyong close. Maybe he should tell Taeyong about how he felt. Maybe- 

“Prepare for the lanterns!” An announcer said,

“Um,” Jaehyun stammered, pulling away quickly. “Lanterns. We should go.” 

Taeyong smiled warmly up at him. “Lead the way.” 

_ Next time,  _ Jaehyun told himself. 


	10. Taeyong

Taeyong was happy enough watching the lanterns lift off from the center of the town where everyone else was. But, Jaehyun had other plans. 

“Where are we going?” He asked Jaehyun for what felt like the twelfth time. The only difference was that now they were in a little row boat, pushing away from an empty dock. 

“The greatest night of your life, right?” He asked, steering with an oar. “Figured you should get the best seat.” 

Taeyong looked away, unable to stop the smile from spreading on his face. He couldn’t help but feel that Jaehyun was looking out for him. Right now, it didn’t even feel like there was a deal between them. Taeyong almost felt like they were just other townspeople, enjoying the day’s festivities together. 

Mark neighed from the pier.  _ Come back or I’ll rat you out to the Captain.  _

“Yeah, yeah, here.” Jaehyun tossed back another sack of apples that Mark happily dug into. “For your silence, Marky,” he added with a small salute. 

_ My silence cannot be bought.  _

“Throw the apples away then.” 

_ Fuck off.  _

Jaehyun chuckled, deep and low, and Taeyong gave Mark a pity goodbye wave. 

Hyuck scurried up to Taeyong’s shoulder, cocooning himself in the crook of his neck.  _ We did it! We’re here!  _

Taeyong pressed a small kiss into his head. “Yes, we did Hyuckie.” He blew out a breath, staring into the water. “So why do I feel so afraid?” 

“You’re afraid?” Jaehyun asked. He’d rowed them out about halfway from the kingdom and the woods on the other side, giving them complete solitude and a vast view of the darkened kingdom. “Why?” He asked, turning to face him. 

Taeyong shrugged. “I’ve been in that tower for twenty years, watching these lanterns and dreaming about being here.” He trained his eyes on the silhouette of the castle before them, trying to replay the magic he’d felt every year. “But, what if it’s not everything I dreamed it would be?” 

“It will be,” Jaehyun said gently. 

Taeyong scoffed. That was a problem too. Another fear. “And what if it is everything?” He asked, turning to face Jaehyun. “What do I do then?” 

Jaehyun gazed into the water. “Well,” he began, “I guess that’s the good thing. You get to find a new dream.” 

And maybe Taeyong already had one queued. 

He pulled his hair into his lap, playing with the flowers still pinned in his hair. Some loosened and dropped into his lap. 

“Thank you,” he said, gathering all the flowers into the palm of his hand. Some kept falling off, and couldn’t get all of them to stay. He frowned as he spoke. “These last couple of days have been the best days of my life so far, and we almost died during one of those days.” More flowers fell out. “But you’re still here, and I don’t want you to feel like I took you for granted or anything.” Taeyong was growing increasingly frustrated at the flowers that would not stay between his fingers. “Because I didn’t, and—” 

Jaehyun reached over, taking the petals from him. “Let me help you,” he said, letting their fingers brush up against each other. 

There was no rush this time. All day, Taeyong was grabbing onto Jaehyun and physically pulling him around, but now, in the stillness and silence of the night, it felt better. Taeyong liked it. 

“Thank you,” Taeyong whispered, and Jaehyun smiled, showing both dimples. 

They waited for the lanterns together, Taeyong gently sending the flowers off in the water while Jaehyun held out his palm and watched him. 

He was left mostly to his thoughts, but this time, he didn’t feel as conflicted. He was slowly allowing himself to look forward to beyond just the lanterns. It wouldn't be terrible at all, and after everything he’d experienced, Taeyong was, for the first time in a long while, feeling confident about himself. He could take care of himself. He’d fought off thugs, survived nearly drowning, and met someone as incredible as Jaehyun all by himself. That had to have meant something. 

Taeyong could walk away with learning one thing: as long as he had Jaehyun, he never wanted to go back to the tower ever again. 

A bright speck appeared in the reflection of the water, and Taeyong did a double take. 

“Jaehyun,” he breathed, looking up at the now bright orange horizon. 

It was starting. 

Taeyong hurried to straighten himself, nearly tipping the rowboat over. Even Jaehyun flung his arms out to keep balance. It didn’t matter. The lanterns quickly filled up the sky, revealing the looming castle. The streets were next, illuminated as the townspeople released their own lanterns. The whole island was set in a deep hue of orange and yellow, the lanterns floating higher and higher every second. 

Taeyong watched with his heart in his throat. It was all right here, all right in front of him. He was right. Seeing them in person was way better than watching them from his window. Taeyong would have cried if he blinked, but he stood, frozen and eyes wide, gripping the edge of the boat. 

Thousands of lanterns were in the air now, flying high over their heads. Taeyong watched all of them be reflected in the water, surrounding his whole world with brightly lit lanterns. He sighed happily, resting his cheek on the back of his hand. Beautiful wouldn’t cover it. He was scanning the whole sky, committing as much of it to memory as he could in hopes he would one day paint a scene such as this. 

Something clicked behind him, and Taeyong blinked away from his entrancement, turning around. 

Jaehyun held up two lit lanterns, his smile growing wider when Taeyong met his eyes. Genuine and real. That’s what being with him felt like. It was real. All of this was real. 

He gently sat down in front of Jaehyun. “I have something for you.” He reached under the seat of the boat and pulled out the satchel. “I should have given it to you sooner, but I was afraid. And I think I’m not afraid anymore,” he explained. 

Jaehyun eyed the satchel, like he had forgotten about it entirely. Slowly he pushed it back down, out of sight. “I’m starting too,” he said softly. 

They shared another small smile, a  _ real _ one. Jaehyun passed him a lantern and they both lifted them into the sky at the same time. 

Taeyong watched them merge with the thousands of others. The twin lanterns floated high, never straying too far from the other. He laughed, seeing them disappear from his view, sure that they were carrying on their journey in the sky above them. 

Something warm clasped his hand, and Taeyong looked down, already with his heart on the verge of bursting. 

Jaehyun reached over and took the other one, and Taeyong squeezed them. “I just wanted to say that...um...” Jaehyun, in a rare moment, looked flustered, at a loss for words. Taeyong ran his thumb over his hand to encourage him to keep going. 

“I didn’t have the same life as you, but I’ve been chasing a dream since I was young too. And I think being around you these last couple of days made me reevaluate some things and I think it was for the best.” Jaehyun’s eyes reflected the orange lights surrounding them and Taeyong found himself looking only at them. 

For a minute, it was just the two of them, only the two of them. The world fell away and everything that happened before wouldn’t count. Taeyong wouldn’t count it. All that mattered was right now. Him, Jaehyun, the warmth around his hands and settling comfortably in the base of his stomach. 

Jaehyun said that he’d get to pick a new dream to chase. A new idea to think about all his days. 

Jaehyun reached forward and tucked some of his hair back behind his ear. 

“All I see is you, Taeyong,” Jaehyun said leaning in. “And you’re shining in the starlight. I think I’m where I’m supposed to be.” 

“I think I’m supposed to be here too,” Taeyong admitted. “Everything just makes sense now.”

Jaehyun’s dimples appeared, his ears turning a new shade of red. “Does this make sense?” He leaned in, cupping Taeyong’s cheek. 

Taeyong closed his eyes and leaned forward, bracing himself. 

And...and nothing happened. 

When Taeyong opened his eyes, Jaehyun’s gaze was beyond him, landing on somewhere on the banks behind them. Jaehyun’s eyes had widened, unblinking at whatever was on the banks. 

“Is everything okay?” Taeyong asked, beginning to twist around to see for himself. 

Jaehyun stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Uh, yes. Yes, everything is alright.” 

Taeyong wasn’t so sure. 

When they arrived at the banks of the river, Jaehyun hopped out first, dragging the boat onto the sand. He leaned in and took the satchel by Taeyong’s feet. 

“I’m really sorry,” he explained. Taeyong knew something was wrong. Jaehyun was acting strange. His eyes were shifting down the shoreline and his hands looked like they were shaking. “I just have to take care of something. I’ll be right back. Promise.” 

Taeyong was getting nervous now. He looked from the satchel in Jaehyun’s hands to his face, trying to understand what was going on. Jaehyun wasn’t leaving him. Right? Not after everything that had happened. 

“Okay,” he said weakly. 

Jaehyun nodded once and walked away stiffly. Taeyong watched him disappear with the satchel and then he was alone again. 

_ What’s going on?  _ Hyuck softly chirped. 

“It’ll be alright, Hyuck,” Taeyong reassured, hoping to find some solace in those words. He kept his eyes trained in the place Jaehyun disappeared, looking for any sign of his return. 

_ He wouldn’t just run off with the crown, would he?  _

Taeyong sighed, leaning against the mast of the boat. “I don’t think he’s the type.” He said. “I hope he’s not.” 

_ Should we follow him?  _

Taeyong chewed on his lip. “It’s not our business, Hyuckie. We have to trust him.” As much as he hated it, he knew that he couldn’t just follow Jaehyun around like a lost puppy anymore. If he promised that he’d be back, then he would come back. Taeyong could hold onto that hope. 

A minute or two later, a figure appeared in the fog, walking back towards the boat Taeyong was watching from. 

Relief flooded through him. “You’re back!” He said, sort of uselessly. “A part of me was afraid that you’d just leave-“ 

The figure walking towards him split into two. 

Taeyong’s heart sank. 

“He did,” one of the twins grunted when they got close enough. 

Taeyong was frozen, rooted in his place. “What?” He wasn’t hearing correctly. “No. No, he wouldn’t.” 

“See for yourself,” the other twin said, pointing out to the river. 

Taeyong followed where he was pointing and squinted. There, in the mist of the river, was another boat, sailing back towards the kingdom. Someone was holding the steering of the boat, still clutching the...the crown. 

Taeyong thought he could hear his heart shatter. 

“It was a fair trade,” one of them crooned, running his hand down Taeyong’s braided hair. He whirled on them, already feeling his pulse accelerate. “The crown for the boy with the magic hair.”

“No, he...he wouldn’t,” Taeyong tried again. It didn’t make sense. Was Taeyong wrong about it all? 

“How much do you think someone would pay to live forever.” One twin pulled open a burlap sack, taking a step closer to Taeyong. 

_ Tae, run!  _

“No, no,” Taeyong begged, backing away. “Please, just let me go.” 

The twins only chuckled and came closer. Taeyong didn’t have another option but to run. He didn’t glance back at the boat that was slowly fading into the mist. 

He sprinted down the shoreline, wincing as broken shells and branches cut into the soles of his feet. He didn’t know where he was going, he didn’t know where he was, and he didn’t even have a  _ plan.  _

No, he  _ had  _ a plan. But that plan was sailing back towards the kingdom alone, and Taeyong wasn’t ready to face facts yet. 

He leapt over a log and was immediately tugged back hard enough until he fell on his ass. For a terrible moment, he thought the twins caught up to him, and he scrambled back up to his feet. 

The twins weren’t there yet, but the end of his braid had been caught on the branch, and Taeyong was hearing the soft footfalls of the twins as they marched ever closer. Taeyong didn’t waste any time. He grabbed his hair and pulled, ignoring the pain and the tension he was putting on his scalp. 

“Come on,” he grunted, yanking on it once more. At the least he wanted an explanation. If he was wrong about everything, he wanted to hear from Jaehyun himself  _ why.  _ Why he believed it in the first place, why he had extended all his rope to him and was still met with this outcome. To do that, he needed to live. 

Two clangs stopped Taeyong from his struggle with the log. He paused, listening in the silence. 

Then, “Taeyong?” A desperate voice called. 

He could barely believe it. “Mother,” he whispered, hurrying towards the sound. He rounded a corner and found his Mother gripping their frying pan, both twins unconscious on the sand before her. 

“Oh, Taeyong, my dear light,” Mother gasped, dropping the pan. 

Taeyong didn’t care about their fight, he didn’t care about how his Mother took out two thieves and mercenaries, he didn’t even care that Mother had found him on the shores of a river alone. 

“Mother,” Taeyong got out, and then he ran forward, burying himself into his mother’s embrace. 

“Are you hurt?” Mother pulled away, turning Taeyong’s face to the left and right. 

“How did you--”

“I was so worried, Taeyong,” she explained hastily. “So I followed you, and then I saw them come after you and--” Mother hugged him tightly again. Taeyong could barely understand what was happening. “Let’s go,” his mother suddenly said, urgency in her voice. “Come now, before they wake up.” She took Taeyong’s wrist and made way to the forest. 

Taeyong followed silently, be he threw a glance back to the boat that was still making steady aim for the kingdom. 

So he was wrong. Taeyong was wrong about all of it. Every single decision, every piece of conflict he was struggling with, all for nothing. 

His heart began to ache. 

“Taeyong,” Mother called gently. 

Taeyong turned, tears welling up in his eyes. When he couldn’t hold it back anymore, he sobbed, running back into his mother’s open arms. 

“You were right,” he sobbed. “You were right about all of it,” Taeyong mourned, his chest feeling like he could sink in it. 

“I know, my light. I know.” 

Thankfully, Mother kept quiet during their trip, and Taeyong focused on his feet. How could he have been so wrong? All the signs were there, so why now? What went wrong? Did he do something? Taeyong didn’t think so. But what if he did? 

The thoughts swirled around his head well after they made it back to the tower. Taeyong sat on his bed, letting Mother unpin all the flowers from his hair. They had a small basket of flowers by the end of it all. He didn’t find it exciting. He barely even noticed. 

“All done!” Mother exclaimed. “It’s like it never even happened.” She picked up the basket of flowers. What would have happened to Taeyong if none of this happened? Would he be the same person he was just a few days ago? 

“Now, wash up,” Mother was saying. “Dinner is your favorite soup!” She must have noticed Taeyong being sullen, because Mother loosed a breath. “I tried to warn you, Taeyong, I really did. The world is cruel and dangerous. If it sees one drop of sunlight, it destroys it.” Mother pulled the curtains shut, leaving Taeyong alone again. 

Taeyong didn’t move. He didn’t feel like doing anything, really. The feeling of suffocation was already starting to hold now that he was back in the tower. Truth be told, he didn’t miss it. He liked being outside, he liked seeing the world, and he liked being with Jaehyun. 

He sniffled, letting Hyuck climb up onto his lap.  _ I’m sorry.  _

Taeyong ran a finger down Hyuck’s spine in comfort. He was wrong about Jaehyun, but he didn’t want to believe it, and this would be easier if he could just  _ let go  _ of him. But how could he? 

Taeyong had been on the most incredible journey of his life in the past two days. He’d seen and done things that he hadn’t done in twenty years. He followed his dream, and he would never regret it. 

It’s just, he wished he could understand his new dream. 

He flopped back onto his bed, releasing a sigh. He reached into his pocket where he had safely kept a small flag of the kingdom. He held it up, thinking about how the city was a motley of golden suns and royal purple banners. 

Jaehyun had bought him the flag. He didn’t even have to steal it. 

Taeyong set it down, staring at his ceiling. 

Even his ceiling had been painted over. Where was he going to paint now? Every inch of his room was covered. 

He frowned, looking at the scene above him. Had he even painted that? It didn’t look familiar. 

_ Wait a minute,  _ he thought, holding up the flag again. 

There, in the bare space left unpainted, was a sun, the same shape and design as the one on the flag. 

Taeyong shot up, looking over at his wall. It was there too. And on the opposite wall, the bookshelf, the space above his bed. He turned around in a full circle, every sun he had drawn or he found seeming like they were glowing before his eyes. 

But that couldn’t be possible. He had seen the flag for the first time yesterday. How did he-- 

The memory hit him like a train. 

The sun symbol was above his head, and he was reaching towards it, with smaller, chubbier hands than his now. Two faces leaned in over him, fuzzy and faded. Taeyong could make out their smiles, and the crowns sitting on their heads. 

He blinked, struggling to catch his breath, and then he saw the same faces but clearer, set in stone. It was the mosaic he’d pointed out in the city. The mosaic with the king and queen and their...and their lost prince. 

Taeyong stumbled backwards, running into his wardrobe, nearly ripping it over. He couldn’t breathe, he could barely stand. 

No.  _ No.  _ There was no way.

“Taeyong?” 

A voice pierced through the whirlwind in his head. Mother. But, not. She wasn’t-- 

“Taeyong, is everything alright?” 

He pushed himself to his feet, running shaking hands through his hair. 

_ His hair.  _ The powers. The song. The sun drop. 

Everything clicked. 

“Taeyong, dear.” 

He pushed open his curtains. 

“I’m the lost prince.” It was quiet, barely audible over his thundering heart. Vocalizing it only established it in stone. 

“Taeyong, stop with the mumbling. Just say it.” 

“I  _ am _ the lost prince,” he said louder, finally leveling his gaze with his Mother’s. 

Mother Gothel’s face fell, mouth hanging open. 

“Isn’t that right, Mother?” Taeyong growled. “Or should I even call you that.” 

Mother chuckled nervously. “Are you listening to yourself? Now, why would you have such a thought like that?” She reached out a hand to comfort Taeyong. 

He shoved her away. “It was you!” He accused. “It was all you!” 

Mother dropped the smile. “Everything I did was to protect you,” she grounded out. 

Taeyong couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He pushed her out of his way and stormed down the stairs of the tower. 

“I spent my entire life hiding from people,  _ trusting  _ you, only for you to use me for my powers.” 

“Taeyong!” 

He reached the bottom of the stairs and turned around. “I should have been hiding from people like  _ you. _ ” He put in as much venom in his voice as he could. 

“Where will you go?” Mother demanded. “He won’t be there for you.” 

_ Jaehyun.  _ “What did you do to him?” Fear bubbled in his throat. 

“He’s to be hanged for his crimes.” 

_ No. No, no, no.  _ Taeyong didn’t even get to explain to him what he’d discovered. He stared at his mother, gaze going empty, hand loosely touching his own neck. He tried everything he could to prevent himself from imagining the unimaginable. 

“There, there,” Mother said gently. “It’s alright. This is all happening as it should.” 

Taeyong caught her hand before it could come down on his head. 

“No.” He pushed back. “You were wrong about the world. You were wrong about Jaehyun, and you were wrong about  _ me.  _ And I will  _ never  _ let you use my hair again,” he said through gritted teeth. 

Mother wrenched her hand from his grip, stumbling backwards enough to trip over the mirror, shattering the glass. 

Taeyong didn’t care. It was over. Maybe he could still make it to the kingdom and stop the execution. He didn’t know, but he could try. He had to try for him. 

He stormed towards the door, fists clenched beside him. 

Behind him, he heard something scrape against the floor, and when he turned around, something struck him on the side of his head. 

Taeyong didn’t remember falling to the ground, but he remembered seeing Mother stand above him, smiling in the same way she’d done for years. And then, darkness. 


	11. Jaehyun

Jaehyun hadn’t stopped pacing since the guards manhandled him into the cell. 

So many things went wrong that night. He didn’t know where to begin. 

He shouldn’t have left Taeyong alone by the boat. He should have just been open about how he didn’t care about the crown anymore, and that he was just going to return it and settle some old blood. Maybe he shouldn’t have even gone to meet the twins. 

And now, he had no idea where Taeyong was. He didn’t even know if he was still alive. 

Stupid. He was so stupid. Why hadn’t he tried harder? He could have saved them both. 

The door to his cell unlocked, and Jaehyun stopped pacing. The Captain, flanked by three other guards, walked in. 

“Time to go, Jung,” he grunted. 

“Go where?” Jaehyun asked. The Captain gave him a look, and Jaehyun felt his stomach twist. “Oh,” he managed, rubbing at his neck. 

Jaehyun had a short trial last night. They didn’t even need a confession from him. Everyone knew of the exploits made by Jung Jae. They had just caught the face the name belonged to. Regardless, the sentence was passed, and the council seemed set on having the execution as soon as possible. 

In another time, Jaehyun might have felt honored that the guards were hurrying an execution just for him. But that was a time when he had an escape plan already in the works. 

Now, with arms twisted behind him, guards on every side, marching to his inevitable death, he was, for the first time in a while, terrified. 

He owed Taeyong an explanation. He had to, at least, do that much. Taeyong probably didn’t even want to see his face anymore, but what he would do to have just five more minutes with the long haired boy. Jaehyun could die in peace knowing he was the greatest thief in the world, but how could he claim that when he found something better to run after? 

His thoughts were distracted as he passed by a cell with two identical prisoners sitting inside. 

Anger surged through him. Jaehyun rammed his shoulder into one guard, whirling on the other without a lost second. He smashed his head into the second guard, and jumped, bringing his arms down below his feet and to the front. 

Jaehyun barely landed before he grabbed the closest twin from between the bars, and yanked on his collar, pulling his face against the bars at an uncomfortable angle. 

“How did you know about him?” He demanded. 

“I-it wasn’t us,” the twin choked out. “It was the old lady!”

“The old lady?” 

_ The mother.  _

Hands grabbed him again, pulling him away from the cell. 

“No! No, you don’t understand!” Jaehyun struggled in the guard’s grip. They held strong, forcing his head down, and pushing him along. “No, he’s in danger!” 

“Shut it, Jung,” the Captain said, driving his fist into Jaehyun’s stomach. Pain throbbed throughout his middle, hurting him enough that he could only allow the guards to drag him away. 

Hopelessness was starting to sink in. He couldn’t fight his way out of this one. No one was here to help him, and— 

Was that a cup? Of...of coffee? 

Jaehyun tried to twist around to get a better look at the strange placement of a cup of coffee in the sill of a window, but the guards only forced him along. 

Why was there a cup of coffee there? 

A door slammed shut ahead of them, and all the guards came to a stop, looking at each other. Jaehyun looked around too, quizzically. 

“Open this door!” The Captain commanded, banging on the wood. 

A small slot at eye height slid open. 

“What’s the password?” Taeil asked, grinning from ear to ear. 

“What?” The guard asked. 

“Nope.” The slot shut again. 

“Open up!” The Captain tried again. 

“Password, please!” Taeil repeated. 

“Open this door!” 

“Now you’re not even trying,” he whined, shutting the slot again. 

“You have three seconds to open this door,” the Captain shouted. “One!” 

The guard on Jaehyun’s left disappeared and he looked over, seeing only the flash of his brown boats before he was hauled somewhere above him. 

“Two!”

Jaehyun barely caught the guard next to him vanishing too, leaving behind a helmet on the floor. 

“Three,” the Captain said, sensing something was wrong. He turned around, mouth remaining open. 

Jaehyun offered him a smile and a small wave, standing in his position. 

The door ahead of them opened again, and instead of Taeil, Jaehyun internally cheered when Johnny strode out, lifting a frying pan. The Captain didn’t even turn around before the pan connected with his head and the captain collapsed to the floor. 

“Frying pans!” Jaehyun exclaimed. “Who knew, right?” 

The door behind them shook as several people pushed the wood down. Jaehyun stared at the new collection of guards running towards him. Somehow, the chains came off his wrists, and Yuta, he thinks, dragged him down another hall. 

“Hey, hot stuff,” he called back to Jaehyun who was sprinting down the hall with him. “You’ve got yourself into a situation here. Feel like a damsel in distress?” 

Jaehyun didn’t stop the smile from spreading on his face. “Tell Sicheng to put on a wig. There’s your damsel in distress.” 

Yuta groaned. “Fuck off, Jung. I liked your pretty friend better.” Yuta veered off the path, and Jaehyun skidded to a stop, wondering if he should follow. “Keep going straight! Jungwoo and Doyoung are in the courtyard!” Yuta called. 

Jaehyun hurtled down the prison halls, finally seeing an opening. He threw himself out into the courtyard, stopping in his tracks when he saw the number of guards swarming the place. They were surrounded. How were they-- 

Someone grabbed his collar and pulled him back. “Listen very closely,” Doyoung said, completely serious. “Head down.” 

“Head down,” Jaehyun repeated, copying the motion. 

“Arms in.”

“Arms in.” 

“Knees apart.” 

“Knees--” Jaehyun was confused. “Why...why would I need to have my knees--” 

Jungwoo leapt down on the other edge of the broken wagon, and Jaehyun was sent soaring through the air, screaming for his life. 

He closed his eyes, bracing for impact, when he landed soundly on top of something solid. He peeked through slits. 

“Mark?” He couldn’t believe it. 

_ The one and only.  _

“You brought them here?” 

_ Duh, they’re your only friends.  _

“No, seriously,” Jaehyun pressed, rubbing Mark’s mane. “This really means a lot to me and I--” he stopped when he saw the look Mark was cutting him. 

_ We have somewhere else to be.  _

“Oh, right. We do have somewhere else to be.” 

Doors slammed open behind them, revealing more guards. Mark took off, racing across the roof. On the other side, guards spilled out. Jaehyun realized that they were going to be cornered. And then, he realized that Mark wasn’t stopping. 

“Uh, Mark?” He got out, over the sound of metal and hooves hitting the stone. “Mark, what are you doing?” 

Mark deigned no answer. 

“Mark!” 

Mark leapt off the roof, soaring through the sky. Jaehyun gripped the reins, feeling his stomach rise into his throat, cutting off his scream. And then, after a second of free falling, Mark hit the roof of the nearest building, sliding down the tiles. Jaehyun felt every jolt in his spine. Mark pushed off again, and this time, he landed on solid ground, much to Jaehyun’s pleasure. 

Mark sprinted through the town, aiming for the bridge and the woods beyond. 

“Okay, Mark, let’s see how fast you can run,” Jaehyun said into his ear. Mark made a noise that sounded too happy for someone for someone who jumped off  _ two  _ roofs. Still, Mark put on a burst of speed and they shot across the bridge, vanishing into the forest. 

Jaehyun only saw a blur of green as trees and shrubbery whizzed past. He could barely recognize the path that he’d taken to the tower just a few days ago. Part of him didn’t believe that his journey began mere days ago. Jaehyun felt like it had been months already. 

Mark jumped through a wide tree with its branches exposed, following the cliff that they both had fallen off the first time. Jaehyun saw the vines that hid the tower in view, and he felt his heart pick up. Mark burst through the vines, and the tower stood tall above them. Jaehyun ignored the eerie silence. 

Mark hadn’t come to a complete stop before he slid off, running to the base of the tower. 

“Taeyong!” He called up, hoping the other boy was there. “Taeyong, let down your hair!” 

Nothing. 

Jaehyun couldn’t wait anymore. He hoisted himself up, digging his fingertips into the crevices of the stones, finding a solid grip under his boots. Jaehyun would climb this whole tower himself. He just wanted to make sure Taeyong was okay. He would take him away from his mother, away from this tower, and show him sights even better than the lanterns. 

The window above him opened, and a second later, long, golden hair toppled out, falling down right beside Jaehyun. With a relieved sigh, he grabbed onto the hair, pulling himself up and up. He grabbed the edge of the window sill when he was close enough and rolled in. 

“Taeyong, if you hate me, I understand, but I really needed to tell you--” 

Every word that he had carefully constructed in his head since this morning in the cell died on his lips. 

Taeyong was there. He was struggling against some chains holding him back, shouting something through the gag tied around his head. 

Jaehyun took one step, only one, before something sharp pierced through his side. Pain immediately blossomed, hot and stinging. He grunted, biting back a scream, as a knife was pulled out of him. The world was spinning, his knees went weak, and he stumbled to the floor, grasping at his wound. 

Somewhere in the distance, Taeyong’s muffled shouts got even louder. 

“Look what you’ve done, Taeyong,” A woman’s voice said. Jaehyun curled in on himself, half aware of Mother Gothel stepping over him. He shut his eyes, wincing with every breath. “Don’t worry. Our little secret dies with him.” 

He had to get up. He had to help Taeyong. If they left this tower, he was never going to be able to find him ever again. He  _ had  _ to get up. 

Jaehyun only managed to roll over, forcing his eyes open to watch the scene unfold in front of him, while he could do nothing. 

He watched Mother Gothel unchain Taeyong from the wall, dragging him towards a hidden stairwell on the floor. Taeyong pulled and pulled, barely getting his feet underneath him. 

“Taeyong,” Mother Gothel growled, yanking him backwards. “Stop fighting me!” 

Taeyong twisted around, and Jaehyun saw the cloth slip off his mouth, hanging off his neck. 

“ _ No _ ,” Taeyong gasped out, facing her. “For the rest of my life, I will  _ never  _ stop fighting you. Everyday, I will try to leave you, and you will never be able to use my powers ever again,” He seethed. He took in a breath. “But, if you let me save him, I’ll come with you.” 

Jaehyun coughed, hurting his chest in the process. “Taeyong,” He wheezed. “Don’t… don’t d-do that.” 

Taeyong ignored him. “I won’t run. I won’t try to escape. It will be just you and me. Forever. Just like you wanted.” 

The words were steady but Jaehyun saw the way the light in Taeyong’s eyes blinked out with each promise-- the way that childish spirit Jaehyun had fallen for died. He tried to crawl over, but he could barely breathe. The room was getting blurry, and no matter how many times he blinked, everything was unfocused. 

“Just let me heal him,” Taeyong begged. 

Jaehyun grunted, feeling more blood pool around him. It was everywhere, coating his hands, his clothes, there were even some splatters on his face. 

Mother Gothel looked like she was considering the offer. 

Jaehyun’s vision blacked out for a moment. Then hands grabbed him under his arms and pulled. Jaehyun yelped, biting his lip. He was unceremoniously dumped against a beam holding up the roof of the tower. Or maybe it was the banister. He couldn’t tell. Something cold clamped around one wrist, and he felt hot air on his skin when Mother Gothel leaned in, hissing, “Just in case you get any ideas about following us.” She threw his wrist back towards him like it was acid and left, the chain dragging as Jaehyun brought it back up against his wound.

Jaehyun coughed again, spots dancing in his sight. There was so much blood.  _ His  _ blood. No matter how hard he tried to staunch the gaping wound in his side, the bleeding would not stop. If he were not tethering on the verge of unconsciousness, he’d be surprised he hadn’t died yet. But, maybe he was close. 

“Jaehyun!” Taeyong ran up to him, kneeling next to where he was leaning up against the beam. Jaehyun felt cold fingers cupping his face, brushing his matted hair away from his eyes to see huge, concerned ones staring right back at him. He winced again, and Taeyong’s cold fingers left his face, going to his hand instead. Slowly, he removed Jaehyun’s bloodied hand from over the wound. 

Taeyong went silent, staring hard at the red mess that was Jaehyun’s side. Jaehyun coughed again. 

“I’m so sorry,” He breathed, and Jaehyun would have laughed. Why was Taeyong apologizing? This was his own fault. “Everything is going to be okay. I’m going to heal you.” 

“No, Taeyong,” He gasped, stopping him from putting his hair over his wound. 

“I promise, you’ll be okay.” Taeyong’s voice cracked. “You have to trust me, just let me--” 

“Taeyong, I can’t let you…do this. I can’t…let you give your…life away.” 

Taeyong took his hands again. “And I can’t let you die,” He said, tears welling up. 

“But if…if you do this,” Jaehyun stammered. “T-then you will die.” 

Taeyong ran his hand through Jaehyun’s hair. “Hey, listen to me.” He gave a small smile. “I’ll be alright.” 

Jaehyun wanted to protest, but when he sucked in a breath, he only felt lightning bolt throughout his whole body. If Taeyong wasn’t going to listen to him, then he could try one last thing. One last trick he could play. 

In one hand, he gripped a broken glass shard. 

“Taeyong,” He gasped, reaching out to brush his hair back. “Wait.” 

The other boy waited, listening for what Jaehyun had to say. 

Jaehyun leaned up, body barking at the movement. In one movement, he sliced the glass shard through Taeyong’s hair, cutting it all off from the base of his nape. 

“Jaehyun,” Taeyong whispered. 

The glass shard clattered out of his grasp, and everything went dark. 


	12. Taeyong

Taeyong watched in horror as seventy feet of beautiful, golden hair turned a dark brown. 

“No!” Mother Gothel shouted. She picked up a bundle of hair, holding it close to her chest as if she could save it from turning brown. “What have you done!” She shrieked. Her hands turned wrinkly, her cheeks hollowed out. The color left her eyes, and Mother Gothel dragged the broken mirror towards her. “What have you  _ done _ ?” 

The woman pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and over her eyes in an attempt to keep her face hidden. “No!” She shouted over and over again. She stumbled over the hair, pulling the cloak to cover her as much as she could. 

Hyuck grabbed some of the now brown hair in his mouth and pulled it taut. Gothel tripped over the hair, tilted out of the open window, and then she was gone with a scream still on her lips. 

Later, Taeyong wouldn’t be sure if there was anything he could have done to save her. 

Seconds of terrible silence followed, broken only by Taeyong’s ragged breathing. 

_ Silence.  _

He whirled back around, finding Jaehyun limp on the floor. “No, no, no, no,” he muttered, pulling Jaehyun’s head onto his lap. “Come on, wake up.  _ Wake up _ .” 

Jaehyun coughed, and Taeyong could feel just how hard the thief was struggling to breathe. 

“No, don’t close your eyes,” Taeyong pleaded, turning his head to make Jaehyun look at him. “Please, just look at me. Keep your eyes on me. I can still save you.” 

_ Empty promises _ , something inside of him roared. 

Taeyong desperately put Jaehyun’s hand on his head. He shut his eyes. “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine.” Nothing. There was no glowing, no magic. Taeyong was met with silence. “Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine,” He gritted out the last part, wanting something,  _ anything,  _ to happen. 

“Taeyong,” Jaehyun breathed, his head lolling. 

“What?” Taeyong was crying, holding tightly to Jaehyun’s hand. 

Jaehyun softly touched his cheek. “You were my next dream,” He confessed, voice barely above a whisper. 

Taeyong let a sob out, unable to hold it in any longer. “And you were mine,” He whispered back. 

Jaehyun’s lips turned upward for a second, just long enough for Taeyong to catch it, his heart being torn into a million different pieces. The smile disappeared just as his hand turned cold and went limp in Taeyong’s grasp. 

Taeyong’s breath hitched. 

Jaehyun was gone. 

Taeyong gently set down Jaehyun’s hand, cupping his face. He’d never see those pretty eyes, hunger for action and mischief. He wouldn’t be able to call him Dimples after the deep holes in his cheeks whenever he smiled. He wouldn’t see that smile ever again, and there was nothing Taeyong could do. Nothing. 

He brought his head down close to Jaehyun’s forehead, just wanting whatever warmth was still in his body. “Heal what has been hurt,” He croaked, wishing that the words would ring true. “Change the fate’s design. Save what has been lost.” He paused for a moment, shaking, unable to voice the last line. “Bring back what once was mine.” He released a shuddering breath, the tears falling freely. “What once was mine.” 

Because Jaehyun was his. After everything that had happened, Taeyong couldn’t picture a world where he could go back and live his new life without Jaehyun there, guiding him. He’d been alone in a tower for twenty years, but this type of alone was something he never wished upon anyone. This type of alone  _ hurt.  _

Taeyong held Jaehyun close to his chest and sobbed, shaking both of their bodies with his short breaths. 

And then…warmth. 

Taeyong slowly pulled away, wiping at his tears with the back of his hand. His eyes widened. “Hyuckie, what’s going on?” He asked. 

_ Look!  _ Hyuck was entranced by what was happening. Taeyong stared. 

Jaehyun’s wound was  _ glowing. _ The same way Taeyong’s hair used to glow when it healed. Bright light filled the gap, erasing all the blood still oozing out. Tendrils of the light grew out of the wound, stretching to every side of the room like vines growing on trees. It surrounded Taeyong and Jaehyun, and the former watched as the room was brightly lit, wondering just  _ how  _ this was happening. 

The light stitched the wound close, sealing Jaehyun’s pale skin with nothing but a thin scar. With a soft push of air, the light slowly sank back into the place where it had come from, throwing the room back into the glum dimness. 

Taeyong leaned back over Jaehyun, looking for any response. 

Slowly, as if he was just waking up, Jaehyun’s eyes fluttered open. He let out a small breath, moving his head on his own. “Taeyong,” He breathed. 

Taeyong felt his body move with each breath he was taking. He gasped, feeling the warmth return to his body. “Jaehyun,” He got out. His powers…did he still have them? 

Jaehyun stared up at him, eyebrow cocking. “You look really cute with brown hair.” 

Taeyong giggled, relief flowing through him. He was back. Jaehyun was  _ back. _ He tackled him, the both of them rolling over in one tight hug that Taeyong was very reluctant to let go of. 

But, he had to. For this. 

He laughed into Jaehyun’s back, feeling him sink his head into Taeyong’s shoulder. Taeyong pulled away, still holding onto him, because Jaehyun was real, and this was real, and he was never going to lose it again. He laughed softly again, looking Jaehyun in the eye. And then, he leaned in, pressing a kiss onto his lips. 

Jaehyun returned it a second later, and then they were both laughing, falling over in hugs and kisses as if they were the last ones they’d give or receive. Hyuck chirped, running out of the way to avoid being smothered in their kisses. 

_ Watch where you’re putting your hands!  _ He yelled to Jaehyun who simply laughed, his deep voice echoing around the room. 

No, Taeyong was  _ never  _ letting this go. He promised. 


	13. Epilogue

It took many kisses and lots of flirty comments to get him to agree with Jaehyun. 

But now, standing on the castle’s balcony, in his supposed home, Taeyong wasn’t sure what to think. Life in the tower was different from what he was about to experience. There would be a lot to learn, not just a civilian in the town, but now, as Crown Prince. He’d been worried about how the king and queen (he meant his father and mother) would receive him, if they would at all. 

He glanced over at Jaehyun, very much alive, and looking a lot less worried than Taeyong. 

The cherry on top was that he had to convince his royal parents that the thief would quit his thieving ways and work for his money instead of stealing. Couldn’t be that hard, right? Jaehyun convinced him, so why shouldn’t his parents be any more forgiving? 

Granted, Jaehyun convinced him because Taeyong couldn’t say no to any kisses. That…that might not work with his parents. 

“Nervous?” Jaehyun asked. 

“How’d you know?” 

“You’ve been moving non stop.” 

In fact, Taeyong stopped his pacing and walked over to where Jaehyun was leaning against the balcony. “Sorry,” He said a bit sheepishly. “I guess I am sort of nervous.” 

Jaehyun smiled, dimples showing, and took Taeyong’s hands. “Hey, you have nothing to worry about. They’re your parents. They’ve been waiting for you for the past twenty years. They won’t turn you away.” 

Taeyong squeezed their hands. “I don’t know,” he admitted, trailing off. He knew worrying wasn’t going to change the outcome, whatever it was. But he couldn’t help it. 

“Remember the lanterns?” Jaehyun continued. “They’re waiting for you, trust me.” He planted a kiss onto Taeyong’s forehead, and Taeyong smiled. With Jaehyun, he could do it. He could figure all of this out. 

The doors flew open behind them, and the king and queen bursted out, eyes going directly to Taeyong.

So it was happening now. 

He offered them a small smile, taking a tentative step towards them. The queen--Mother-- crossed the space left between them, coming to a stop a foot or two away. 

Taeyong had his mother’s eyes. His real mother’s eyes. 

Mother reached out gingerly and touched Taeyong’s shoulder, holding it when he didn’t flinch away. Taeyong’s heart was beating wildly in his chest, his head running at a thousand miles per hour. 

For a moment, Taeyong could only stare at his Mother. She stared back, tears springing into her eyes. And then, she let out a happy sob, pulling him into a tight embrace. Taeyong hugged back, crying into his mother’s shoulder. This felt right. This was perfect. 

He peered over his Mother, meeting eyes with his Father. The stoic look washed away completely, replaced with a relieved smile and more tears. Father joined in their hug, squeezing tightly, holding the three of them together, with Taeyong in the middle. 

His Mother’s arm lifted from its position, and Taeyong peeked to see her pull in Jaehyun into the hug as well. That was easy. 

With Jaehyun also in the center, the four of them held each other tightly, with unspoken promises that Taeyong knew would all be held to the truth. He’d make sure of it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading all of this, it really means a lot! I'm not sure yet if I will make this into a collection of DisneyxNCT stories, but maybe I will, who knows. Come talk to me on twitter! I promise I don't bite :) @nomoreeggstofry

**Author's Note:**

> yell about this au on twitter with me! @moreeggstofry // https://twitter.com/moreeggstofry  
> thank you for reading this! the idea came to me in a dream one night and it's been haunting me since hahah


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